Whatever Happens
by Pink Lady Alex
Summary: Mikaela and Sam get separated during the desert battle of ROTF. After Lennox rescues her she realizes they have more in common than previously thought. Will their new-found relationship survive another conflict in a foreign land? Rated for action violence
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_This particular fic was requested by _figureskater1589_, and is my third Mikaela & Lennox story. As for this story, it starts during the Egypt battle of ROTF, then continues on from there. Sam and Mikaela are not together is this, nor is Lennox a married man. So, I hope you like it and don't be afraid to leave a review – I love reading your questions and comments!

NOTE: In this story, Lennox is not married and does not have any children.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Sitting in the back of a car as it sped across dusty Egyptian roads was not where she had planned to be today. Despite the bizarre set of circumstances that had gotten her half-way around the world, this was turning out to be one of the quieter moments of the day. This provided Mikaela Banes an opportunity to mentally process everything that had happened, or at least attempt to do so.

Yesterday morning she had gotten a call from her ex-boyfriend, Sam Witwicky. He had only been at college two days and he was already freaking out; however, it wasn't a three thousand-word essay that he was raving about. She and Sam had been through a lot together and she recognized the obvious call for help, so she took the next plane out to his college. Mikaela subsequently saved him from a predatory Decepticon with a human appearance, and they had been on the run ever since that encounter.

"We've got cops!" someone hollered, and the car swerved to avoid the oncoming vehicles. She collided with the other person in the backseat – Leo Spitz, Sam's hysterical roommate that had gotten dragged along in their quest.

Bumblebee was an excellent driver though, and they were soon able to evade the local authorities. The next part of their plan was to find a telephone. There was only one person that they could trust to help them resurrect Optimus Prime; that was Major Lennox.

* * *

Preparing to take the deceased form of the Autobot leader back to the NEST base – that was something Major William Lennox never thought that he would be doing today or any day. He had been devastated to receive the news of the Prime's death. By the time he and his team landed in New Jersey the confrontation between the Cybertronian natives was long over. A military helicopter soon dropped the body of Optimus at the base, only to be followed by an altercation with Director Galloway and his crew.

Just when he had been trying to wrap his head around the first catastrophe, the National Security Advisor announced that NEST had been terminated by order of the President. Everyone on his team was more than aggravated, even the mild-mannered Ratchet. With this drastic turn of events, there was little that they could do at the present.

Lennox was in the midst of packing up the NEST team to return to Diego Garcia when the call came through; it was former Sector Seven Agent Seymore Simmons. He was speaking in an urgent, cryptic manner, and gave him some geographical coordinates before ending the call. Will looked at the information that he'd copied down. If this meant what he thought it did, Sam might have a way to bring Optimus Prime back to life.

The coordinates 29.5N, 34.88E would put Sam at the Gulf of Aqaba. Since Diego Garcia was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, an unscheduled stop in Egypt would be right on the way. The only problem was that Galloway had insisted on personally escorting the team back to base. Everything was on the line, but if there was a sliver of a chance in bringing the Prime back to life they would have to try. Lennox summoned his two top officers, Master Sergeant Robert Epps and a British agent, Captain Graham. They would need to devise a daring plan to be successful.

* * *

The small crew of four humans, three Autobots, and one ex-Decepticon were thankful to find a quiet place to rest for the night. The reconstruction project on the pyramids and other ruins seemed to be closed down for a few days, and the ancient tombs would provide excellent cover for the large alien life forms. After getting a little bit of food for the evening, everyone dispersed to catch a few hours' sleep.

Mikaela wasn't about to sleep near the former secret government agent – although he'd been a lifesaver in their present situation, he was still rather eccentric – and there was no way she wanted to be anywhere near Leo. Not only did he creep her out, she had a feeling he would stare at her while she slept. That left only one person.

"Hey, aren't you tired?" Sam asked as she approached.

"I'm exhausted. Could I sleep next to you?"

"Really? I mean, yeah, of course."

She noticed the hopeful ring in his voice. "It's just that I don't want to sleep near Simmons or Leo, and I don't want to ask Bumblebee to stay in alt-mode all night just so I can sleep in the backseat."

"Yeah, I don't blame you. I only met Leo yesterday, but I don't know him _that_ well yet."

Mikaela sat down next to Sam and nestled into his warm body. In turn, he put his arm around her and pulled her close.

"Just like old times, huh?"

"Almost," she agreed.

The pain of their breakup still stung a little. This would've been the perfect moment for him to tell her that he loved her, but she knew those words wouldn't come out of his mouth. They had had plenty of romantic moments like this during their relationship, but even then he had never spoken those meaningful words.

They were both able to fall asleep for a while, but nightmares made Sam wake with a start. The sudden twitch of his body woke her as well.

"Hey, hey it's alright," she said soothingly.

"Sorry… I just have a lot on my mind I guess."

"Just relax. Think, we're in Egypt, sleeping under the stars alongside the three most beautiful pyramids in the world; it's like the ultimate camping trip."

"Stars… Pyramids…" he murmured.

A moment later Sam was hollering about star alignments with the ancient tombs, and how they pointed in the direction of some far off mountains. Everyone else was also awake by this point. Simmons announced that they would have to travel towards the Mountains of Petra to find the Matrix.

It was the middle of the night, and it would likely take them until morning to reach their destination. Mikaela sighed; it seemed like she was going to end up sleeping in the back seat after all, beside Leo. She folded her arms and tried to get comfortable on her side of the car. A couple minutes later she felt a weight against her left shoulder and an arm wrapping around her waist. She opened up her eyes to find Leo snuggling up next to her.

"Leo – seriously!" she exclaimed, pushing him off.

"What? I was just sleeping, I was barely even touching you!"

"I really need to have some personal space, alright?"

"Well, you can sleep on my shoulder, right here, like a pillow-"

"Leo…" she said, her tone suggesting that it was more of a final warning.

He continued talking at his mile-a-minute pace, "I mean if you're not comfortable with getting all touchy-feely while your ex is in the driver's seat, I totally understand, but we'll be so quiet he'll never know!"

"LEO!" Mikaela and Sam shouted in unison.

"I'm still awake, and I can obviously hear you," Sam told him. "Just leave Mikaela alone and get some rest."

The commotion woke Simmons, who was in the passenger seat. "Listen Spitz, don't make me come back there, or I will taze you."

That threat finally silenced Sam's irritating roommate and Mikaela eventually drifted off to sleep. Knowing that Bumblebee and the Twins would get them where they needed to go was a relief. That was the one reliable aspect of the whole ordeal.

* * *

The route that the NEST team would be taking back to Diego Garcia would send them right over Egypt. Lennox spoke with the pilots of his plane just to make sure. He and his top officers had already established a plan – a daring airdrop to the given coordinates. That way the pilots could land at a better location, and his team could get ready for whatever was going to happen. There would no doubt be Decepticons somewhere in the mix, and another battle was inevitable. They would have to take all the equipment they possibly could.

The only issue he had encountered so far was in the form of a whiny government agent. It was going to be difficult to lose him during the fueling stop, and there was no way that he would miss a full-scale airdrop. An announcement echoed through the airplane that they would be landing soon.

The first leg of the trip had taken the NEST detachment from New Jersey to Madrid, Spain. After the massive C-17's were re-fueled, they were scheduled to fly straight to Mascat, the capital city of Oman for another stop. Will took the opportunity to get out of the airplane and walk around on the tarmac. Graham soon joined him, walking casually.

"Galloway is watching everyone like a hawk," the captain said quietly. "Epps was going to come over and discuss the plan, but I suggested that he stay back. If the Director sees you two talking, he'll know we're plotting something."

"Good thinking. That guy was already giving us weird looks before we got on the plane. Fortunately stealth isn't one of his skills; Epps and I saw him coming before he could hear what we were saying."

"Speaking of which, how are we going to get Galloway out of the way?"

Will sighed. "I don't know, I've been racking my mind for hours. Epps suggested that we lock him in a compartment."

"A move like that may be too risky – he'll point the finger right at you."

"Yeah I know, but I'm willing to put my career on the line for this."

"If I may suggest, instead of securing him in the plane, why don't we get him out of it?"

"Throw him out of the plane?" Will stopped, his mind moving rapidly with an idea. "Of course! We could strap a parachute on him and throw him out before we make the drop!"

"He might know that we're up to something if he goes out first."

"Yes… but what if he thought it was an emergency? That would explain why everyone would be gearing up."

An alarm sounded, signaling everyone to board the aircraft for takeoff.

"Let's get the team on the same page; this plan is a good one. We've only got a few more hours till Aqaba." Lennox noticed Galloway standing on the loading ramp watching him intently. "He has no idea what's coming."

* * *

It was dawn when they approached the Mountains of Petra – the sun rising over the sandy horizon cast a brilliant orangey-yellow light over everything. Soon the group drove up to a giant structure carved into the mountain; this had to be the doorway Jetfire mentioned. Mikaela recognized it as The Treasury of Petra but never imagined that it would be so large and magnificent. With Leo and Simmons trailing behind, she and Sam rushed inside. They stopped short – despite the ornate exterior of the Treasury, the interior was unexpectedly sparse. Even worse, it was empty.

The guys argued about it and Mikaela fought the urge to break down into tears. She, like the rest of them had been fully expecting to find something, anything, even Cyberglyphs. Skids and Mudflap started brawling right in the middle of the antechamber and she had to duck into a corner to avoid being crushed. Thankfully Bumblebee took matters into his own hands.

The twins' rough-housing had put a dent in the wall, and Sam rushed over to inspect. "Symbols…" he breathed. "Bee – shoot it!"

His friend complied, and after the smoke cleared a dark tunnel became visible. Sam crawled inside, followed by the other three people. Mikaela stepped carefully over the ancient leaders; this was undoubtedly the Tomb of the Primes that Jetfire had described. In the center of everything lay the Matrix.

Sam took the precious key in his hands, holding it gingerly, only to have in dissolve into dust right before their eyes. "No… this is not supposed to happen!" he said in dismay.

There was a faint roar of engines outside the catacombs prompting Simmons and Leo to investigate. The young man still sat there, staring at the silver dust. Mikaela wanted to reach out and run her fingers through Sam's hair as she used to, but instead put a hand on his shoulder to show her sympathy. "You can't bring it back Sam, there's nothing left."

Nevertheless, he began feverishly scooping it all into a sock. "There is a reason we are here. We've got to try."

"How do you know this is going to work?"

"Because I believe it," he replied, gazing at her intensely.

When they got back outside they were just in time to see the military planes circling past the area that they specified. The problem was that they were still quite a distance away.

"Alright, everybody into the Camaro!" Simmons ordered. "We've got a date to keep."

* * *

For the first time in days Lennox felt relaxed, or at least as relaxed as a person could get after airdropping into a foreign country. It was smiles all around the moment Galloway prematurely deployed his parachute, which effectively sucked him from the plane. With NEST soldiers and Autobots ready for action, he started giving orders.

Soon enough, Agent Graham spotted Bumblebee and the Twins approaching on the horizon. "Got a visual – Yellow Team, four clicks."

"Pop flares," Will replied.

Almost instantly, Starscream – who had been patrolling Aqaba – zeroed in on Bumblebee's team. The attack sent them fleeing out of their sight range, but the major and his own team were too far away to be of any help.

The NEST dispatch continued getting battle-ready, only to be set back by an EMP burst, something that Lennox had feared would happen. "Burn an SOS – let the eye in the sky know we need some help. Pop some more flares so that they can find us." He had no idea where the civilians had gotten themselves to, but he had to find them soon.

A large figure soon planted itself atop one of the majestic pyramids; the Decepticon leader's roars could be heard despite the distance. Immediately after, objects like meteorites rained down into the ruins nearby – Decepticon reinforcements.

"We got a whole lot of fight coming our way!" Lennox called out.

Epps checked his rifle and muttered to himself; "That's not good. That's not good!"

"Those Decepticons are searching for Sam," Will told his team. His mind rapidly went through their possible tactical options; they would need to set up an ambush, and collect Sam as quickly as possible. All of this had to be done without fully engaging thirteen hostile Cybertronians. He could only hope that all of this would work out, otherwise this would certainly be the last place he would ever see.

* * *

It felt like they had already been running for a long time, but the soldiers and Optimus' body were still on the other side of a village and ruins. Leaving Simmons, Leo, and the twins to act as decoys, Sam and Mikaela decided to sneak in on foot. A couple more red flares marked the location.

"We're still about a mile out," Sam estimated.

The air was dry and the sun beat down upon them, making their dash all the more strenuous. Mikaela's legs were already burning from the effort of charging through all of the sand. She really wanted to stop and rest, but the importance of their mission could not be delayed even a minute.

Starscream was still out there searching for them; they could hear the whine of his jet engines as he circled around the village. They would simply have to wait until he went past. Mikaela found an open door to a building and ushered Sam inside. Everything was strewn about like the occupants had left in a hurry, which was probably had.

"Listen, once it's clear we'll run for Optimus, ok?" Sam told her.

"What if it doesn't work?"

"It's going to work."

"What if it doesn't?"

"It will."

Mikaela was terrified, simple as that. The soldiers did not know where they were, and they were still a long way from the Prime's body. Her mind kept going through all of the things that could happen to them, and none of those thoughts were good.

Suddenly there was a deafening boom that seemed to be right above the building. They could hear the alien noises of the Decepticon as it trudged past. Mikaela had to clamp her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. It was like those nature programs on television, when animals went into the bush to flush out their prey – only this time, she and Sam were the prey.

Without any warning, the roof of the structure was torn off and Starscream gazed down at them. An adjacent wall collapsed from the impact and the pair fell through to the outside. Decepticons surrounded the area and were quick to block their escape routes, forcing them to ascend a narrow flight of stairs to the roof of another building. There was no where else to run to – Sam and Mikaela jumped across to the next rooftop just before the previous one was demolished in a cloud of dust and stone.

They landed hard, the momentum rolling Sam over the edge; however, Mikaela hit a weak spot on the roof. She could feel the materials beneath her give way, and she was sent her plummeting downwards.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_This chapter is intense – I was getting rather anxious writing it. From the end of the first chapter, things start to shift in a way the story could've played out. A word of caution though, there is a scene in this chapter that could almost be described as a rape (but it isn't). If this might upset/disturb/offend you, you may want to hit that back button… Thanks for all the comments from Chapter 1!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

It took her several moments to realize what had just happened. She felt pain first, but it was the throbbing kind that resulted from an abrupt descent and falling objects. Mikaela was thankful that she hadn't gotten badly cut or had broken anything. Dust was still rising through the hole in the roof that she had gone through, which had also created a shaft of light in the darkened building.

Outside, the sounds of the Decepticons roaming about were like thunder. It occurred to her that she was probably too exposed, sitting in the middle of the room, and Mikaela crouched in the shadows against a wall.

"Sam? Sam, are you in here?" she whispered. There was no answer. She remembered him falling off the roof when they made their desperate leap across the rooftops; he was probably wondering where she had gone. Maybe he wasn't far away.

Mikaela's eyes had adjusted to the dark interior well enough for her to fumble her way down a narrow flight of stairs to the main floor. Finding an exit, she cautiously cracked the door open to get a look at her surroundings. The sandy streets were empty, yet the Decepticons were still close. She slipped outside to try and get her bearings. There were no more flares to mark the soldiers' position. If Sam was nearby searching for her, she was bound to find him sooner or later.

* * *

With his wheeled feet kicking up a spray of sand, Sideswipe came to an abrupt stop near Major Lennox. "Ironhide has the boy. He and Chromia are bringing him here directly."

"That's very good news." He hollered into his radio to be heard above the sound of gunfire. "We've got our civilian and precious cargo on the way. Make sure the pillars are clear."

He grabbed a nearby pair of binoculars and scanned the village for the large black Autobot. A moment later Will could see Ironhide providing cover-fire while Sam Witwicky clung to a blue motorcycle, that being Chromia in her alt-mode.

"We've got him!" The female Autobot deposited Sam right before the Major. The young man was clutching a ragged piece of fabric. Will's hopes faded when he caught sight of it. "That's what is going to bring Optimus back to life?"

"Yes."

He didn't waver and Will didn't have the time to discuss it.

Sam looked around anxiously. "Did anyone pick up Mikaela?"

"Mikaela? She's here?"

"Yeah. Simmons and my roommate are in some pit nearby. But Mikaela came with me. No one brought her to your command center?"

"No. What happened?"

"We were running here together and we had to hide in a house. When the 'Cons found us we started running again and we had to jump across this building. I thought she was right with me when I hit the ground. When Ironhide's team found me, Elita-1 was going to track her down and bring her after us."

Ratchet, the Autobot's medic approached. "I regret to inform you that I've just lost contact with Elita-1."

Both Sam and Lennox stared back at the scene of the battle. Somewhere in the middle of it all, amid the Decepticons and the destruction, Mikaela was there.

"I have to go back for her!" the young man yelled, already starting to move in that direction.

"Sam, you've got to help Optimus first or none of us will make it. I'll find her."

He took a last look before reluctantly agreeing. "Just make sure she's ok."

"I'll bring her back." Will got on the radio. "This is Lennox. I've got to do an extraction; we've still got a civilian out there. I need a couple people to go with me." Almost instantly he had several soldiers volunteer to go on the mission. He really did have the best team of people. "Meet me at the command unit now; we'll make a plan and go."

* * *

The air was hazy from all of the smoke; it lowered the visibility for her, and hopefully for the 'Cons as well. Mikaela ran down an alleyway, careful not to let her feet drag on something that could make her presence known. There had just been a deafening conflict nearby, which meant that an Autobot would be involved.

She made it to where the noise had been coming from and peered around the corner of a building. There was a huge, red piece of metal in the sand; Mikaela stifled a gasp by covering her mouth. Standing motionless for a moment, she decided to take another look when there was no response. This time she got a better view.

What she thought was a Decepticon was only a part of one, its legs. The rest of it lay a short distance away, but in pieces. The battle had been a fierce one. Hopefully whoever had dispatched this 'Con was still in the area.

A familiar sound caught her attention, a particular engine revving. "Bumblebee?" she whispered aloud. It had to be him, she recognized that engine anywhere, even Sam did. "Bumblebee!" she shouted, running in his direction.

Mikaela was just in time to see a flash of yellow disappear around a corner; he was in his alt-mode, which was unusual. In any case, the Autobot had not heard her. She flopped down in the sand, the running had tired her out and she hadn't had much to eat or drink in a while. Maybe it would be best just to wait for someone to find her.

Almost instantly she regretted wishing that. There was nothing more than a low growl, but it was enough to indicate that something was close. She had never heard an Autobot growl that way, but then she hadn't personally met every Autobot on the planet.

* * *

Lennox and the two NEST soldiers who had volunteered to go with him on this side mission ran for the area that Sam had last seen his ex-girlfriend. He had full confidence in Epps – who was in command until the major returned – which allowed him to fully concentrate on this task. Before leaving the site, Will had been present to witness the sock full of shimmery dust form into the fabled Matrix of Leadership. Sam had wasted no time in plunging it into Optimus' chest, effectively resurrecting him. Even though the Prime had been restored to life, this battle was far from over.

"Sir, I've got a visual on some Decepticons up ahead. I suggest we go around."

"Let's cut through this way," Will replied. "We've got about a quarter of a mile to go. Stay sharp; she could be anywhere."

It was nearly impossible to guess what the young woman might do in this situation. He didn't know her very well, but she was certainly not timid. During the Battle of Mission City, Mikaela had refused to put her safety above those of her friends. Even after she had left, she came back to help take down a Decepticon. From this knowledge alone, Will assumed that she would probably try to make it to where NEST was stationed; she probably wouldn't be sitting around and waiting. However, that would be the logical thing to do if she were lost, or surrounded, or injured…

The thought suddenly occurred to him, Mikaela could be lying out there injured, vulnerable to some brutal 'Con. He remembered the look of determination in her eyes that he had seen in the last battle. No matter what happened, she wasn't going to give up, she was going to fight.

* * *

Mikaela peered over a broken-down wall, trying to get a look at the being lurking nearby. She and Sam had not even been able to avoid Starscream, so she had legitimate doubts about being able to elude this Deception. There was nothing to see, but that didn't make her feel any better; if she could have seen this one, she would at least know where to hide. One thing was certain, if she kept moving she would have a better chance of escaping as opposed to sitting there and waiting for it to find her.

Taking a deep breath, Mikaela got to her feet and started running. Presumably, where there were more explosions, that was where the conflict was, and thus the Autobots. Things were going well until a flicker of a shadow caught her attention. She slowed her pace and listened. This was just perfect – her mind was playing tricks on her… or was it? Mikaela wasn't in the habit of second-guessing herself; there had been something, there _was_ something watching her.

Her eyes scanned the rooftops above. Making a quick, mid-stride turn she checked the ones behind, which was when something big passed directly over her. She spun around and stared up in horror at the creature leering down at her. The Decepticon was smaller in comparison to the others and had an almost feline appearance. Emitting a shrill roar from its razor-sharp jaws, Ravage gazed at her with one large eye.

Mikaela screamed and sprinted off in an adrenaline-fueled run for cover. There was no way that she was going to be able to get away, and she came to this realization as the 'Con hurdled from building to building. In no time at all Ravage got in front of her, cutting her off and growling fiercely. Mikaela darted down a narrow alley and into another open street. She didn't see the piece of wood half-buried in the sand; she tripped and went sprawling onto the ground. A streak of metallic gray shot past – if she hadn't fallen, Ravage would have surely caught her.

Scrambling to her feet once more, Mikaela started running in the opposite direction. An energy bolt shredded into a nearby structure, causing a small explosion that threw her back down to the sand. Looking back, she saw the cannon that had seemingly materialized from the back of the Decepticon. Mikaela got up and dashed around a corner and up a flight of stairs. The sound of steel into rocks indicated that her pursuer was already climbing the walls. Suddenly he was up and over and approaching menacingly.

* * *

"Lennox, come in," a voice said on his radio.

Will motioned to the other two soldiers to pause with him by a building. "I'm here. What's up Epps?"

"Optimus is taking on this new 'Con that came in out of nowhere. Good news is that we've gotten through to the air force; we're waiting to see what kind of support can be scrambled. And, uh, Bumblebee just bought in Witwicky's parents; I don't know how they got here either. Found the girl yet?"

"No, we're still looking."

"Alright, I'm sending one of the Autobots to help you; he should be there any minute. I'll keep you posted on our status. Over and out."

"Looks like we'll have some company," Will remarked.

"Sir, I just heard an explosion coming from somewhere over there. Should we check it out?"

"Yes. As far as I know, none of our guys are over there, and the 'Cons wouldn't be shooting at each other."

* * *

She was slipping off the ledge. Holding on by her fingertips, Mikaela had lowered herself down from the roof as much as possible before dropping to the ground. Fortunately she had a softer landing on the sand. Before she could take more than a couple steps, Ravage leapt in front of her, putting her between a rock wall and a very hard place. Now she knew what a mouse felt like when cornered by a cat.

Ravage flicked its barbed tail back and forth, and growled with a tone was could almost have had a sneer in it. It was playing with her, toying with its prey! The beast let her run a few paces to the side before it slammed its vice-like jaws shut on her jacket. It tore clean off her body, leaving her in only a thin shirt with a lot of exposed skin. A force from behind knocked her to the ground and the 'Con pounced on top of her.

Mikaela was on her back kicking and screaming frantically and it just stared down at her with that sole, dead eye. She was sure that it was almost purring sadistically. Ravage lashed out and she could feel one of its jagged teeth slice into her forearm. As the warm wetness of her blood slid down her arm, she realized that this might be how it would end for her – torn apart in some back-alley of an Egyptian village. And more than anything she wished that Sam had told her he loved her, because she would never hear it from his or anyone else's lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Sorry for the slight delay in posting this chapter. This chapter is pretty self-explanatory… which reminds me. Does this story need chapter titles? Would you like to see chapter titles? I've been wondering about this for a while. I'm also stressing out about Mikaela & Lennox – please tell me there's some chemistry there… Yes, I'm feeling a little insecure :( Please direct your thoughts to the review button.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Screaming. Lennox clearly heard feminine screams resounding through the deserted village. It had to be Mikaela, and she was in trouble. He'd never heard screams like that before; they were the sound of absolute terror. Will was about to talk out a plan of action with his two fellow soldiers when Autobot Sideswipe sped around a corner almost noiselessly. They all looked at each other and nodded.

He didn't really need to say it, but tersely whispered it anyways; "Go!"

Standing over the small human, Decepticon Ravage was so engrossed with his prey that he didn't see the charging Autobot and NEST troops until they were virtually right beside him. He leapt up and onto the side of a building just before Sideswipe was able to cut him apart. The large, barbed tail of the cat-like beast nearly succeeded in dealing the young woman a fatal blow when it dug into the sand next to her as he jumped.

Lennox sprinted over to Mikaela and carried her out of the way behind a low wall. He kept himself in front of her in a protective stance. She was sobbing uncontrollably, having been so close to death. "Mikaela, it's ok, we're here now. Are you alright?"

There were the cries of "Fall back!" a moment before a barrage of energy bolts scorched the ground and surrounding buildings. The Decepticon's retractable cannon had sent the other two soldiers ducking for cover, leaving Sideswipe to deal with the foe. Ravage had already climbed to the rooftop, gaining the higher ground; however, the Cybertronian warrior had already hustled around back. Using his momentum, he launched himself up onto the top of the building, surprising Ravage.

Instead of fleeing, the 'Con chose to attack; the multitude of sharp spikes all over his body coming in handy. Locked into fierce melee combat, the Cybertronians' battle spilled off the rooftops and onto adjacent buildings and streets. With twin Cybertanium blades and superior skill, Sideswipe soon proved the victor. After drilling one sword through Ravage's core, he neatly bisected the rest of the Decepticon in one swift maneuver.

Once the creature had been dispatched the soldiers tentatively stood from their hiding places. Mikaela had also calmed down by this point and was attempting to dry her face using the backs of her wrists, which were slightly less dirty. Her body was trembling from the enormous rush of adrenaline and her hands shook slightly.

"You're bleeding!" Will exclaimed when he caught sight of Mikaela's arm. "That's a bad cut. I don't even have anything I could tie it up with."

She put her hand over it to apply some pressure. "It'll be fine. We can't do anything about it here."

He had to admire her courage; any other girl would have been completely overcome by the circumstances. An alert came through the radio clipped onto Will's uniform. "Lennox here. We've got the civilian. Over."

"Great. Now get out of there, we've got an air strike coming in less than five minutes," Epps told him.

"On our way. Over and out." Will looked at his small team. "Ok, you heard him, let's move." He turned to Mikaela. "Are you ok to run?" She nodded and he took her hand.

Sideswipe hovered around the humans as they ran, trying to watch for a possible attack either in front of them or from behind. When the sand started shooting skyward like a riptide current in rough waters, both Lennox and the Autobot instantly turned to look find the source of the disturbance. While the latter had the alien advantage, Will had never forgotten his experience in Qatar, which had also taken place in the desert and not too far from this part of the world.

Scorponok blasted through the sand with both of his cannons blazing. The humans threw themselves behind a building, and even Sideswipe leapt out of the way. Not only was this Decepticon was in his element but he had some formidable weaponry. All at once Lennox remembered that battle and the type of firepower they had needed to damage this 'Con. The air force would probably be able to take it out for good this time, but that still left them in the middle of it all.

Their Autobot counterpart must have been thinking the same things, since he transformed into his sleek, Corvette Stingray alt-mode. "This is going to be tight – get in!" he urged them.

The first two men jumped in, one taking the driver's seat and the other straddling the control console separating the seats. Lennox and Mikaela dove in just before Scorponok rounded the corner, and Sideswipe's powerful engine propelled them away. He hadn't exaggerated that there wouldn't be much room. Sideswipe's alt-mode was all about speed, just like he was. Cramming four people into two seats in a very low vehicle was something that never should have been attempted, unless in extreme situations – such as this one.

If it weren't for the fact that they were racing for their lives to avoid both an impending air strike and a pursuing Decepticon, Mikaela would have felt exceedingly embarrassed. She was wearing a very low-cut shirt and the velocity pressed her tightly into Lennox's body, his combat uniform not making the position any more comfortable. One of his arms was braced against the ceiling of the car while the other was wrapped around her waist to hold onto her. They hadn't the time or the space to put on seatbelts. The other two soldiers clung to whatever they could and maintained a grim silence as Sideswipe veered around oncoming obstacles.

A voice seemed to come through the car radio that Lennox recognized as Ratchet's. "I can see you, Sideswipe. The pillars are still clear."

"I'm carrying all the humans – can you do something about that 'Con on my tail?"

"Right away. Bumblebee is moving in to assist you."

They were almost out of the village. The yellow Autobot was behind one of the two massive, stone pillars, waiting to ambush Scorponok. As soon as Sideswipe sped past, Bumblebee launched himself at the Decepticon, wrestling the scorpion-like beast.

Racing up the sandy incline to the area that the NEST troops held as a staging area, Sideswipe skid to a halt and both car doors opened rapidly. The occupants stumbled out onto the sand, and the Autobot transformed back to his taller form.

"I've got someone to finish," he muttered and went back to help Bee.

Will helped Mikaela to her feet. "Go behind these tanks, the shockwave from the air strike is going to be intense."

She followed his instructions and found Sam and his parents already there.

"Mikaela!" he shouted and ran over to embrace her. "You're ok – I was so worried about you."

"I'm alright. What about Optimus, did it work?"

"Yes. He's up on that pyramid, this huge Decepticon teleported in; he's their leader or something."

Overhead several military planes roared past, dropping their rockets onto the village. The resulting explosions were near-deafening and fire mushroomed into the sky. Whatever Decepticons were in there had finally been destroyed for good.

* * *

After an intense one-on-one clash between Optimus Prime and the Decepticon leader known as the Fallen, the battle was finally over. They had lost several good men and most of the Autobots had sustained some damage. The area was a complete disaster zone, with all manner of debris strewn about, some of it still burning.

Mikaela sat at the small medical station that had been temporarily set up to treat the multitude of injuries. Although sand had gotten into her cut, making it sting even more, her wound wasn't as bad as what others had, and she felt a little guilty for being there. "It's not that bad," she was insisting to the medic. "Let someone else go before me, I can wait."

"Not with a cut like this, it's already really dirty; infection is the last thing you need."

"I agree," Lennox said as he entered the tent. "Don't argue with your doctor." He smiled at Mikaela and sat down beside her. "How are you holding up?"

"Pretty well I guess." She winced as the medic washed her arm thoroughly.

"This is going to sting," the woman warned her before dousing the cut in alcohol.

Mikaela bit back a scream. Will saw her face suddenly flush red and reached out to grasp her hand. She held on tightly for several moments before her grip loosened a bit.

"This is almost more painful than actually getting slashed," she remarked, trying to sound casual about it.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner."

Looking into his face she was a little surprised to find an expression indicating his deep regret. "You came, that's the main thing," she told him. Mikaela sighed and looked away. "I know that Sam had to get to Optimus, but… I still feel a little hurt that he didn't stay to look for me. But he knows that I can usually take care of myself, so he must have thought I'd make it out fine."

"Miss," the medic spoke up, "you're going to need a few stitches."

That was not what she wanted to hear. "Can't you just glue it or something?"

"The gash is too long; it could re-open. I'll have to put in several stitches to keep it closed, as well as some tape over that. I've got some local anesthetic that should dull the pain."

Lennox held the young woman's hand in both of his own. He had seen people get stitched up before, but this time was different; her slender arms and soft skin seemed too fragile to be putting a needle and thread through. She tried to glance over while the medic worked and Will gave her hand a gentle squeeze to get her attention. "Hey, don't watch, look at me." A couple tears slid down her face, she was obviously nervous and emotionally drained. He started talking to distract her; "I'm probably going to be in a lot of trouble once I get back to base, maybe even before that."

"Why?" Mikaela couldn't imagine why he of all people should be facing heat from his superiors.

"Well, I kinda helped the Secretary of Defense out of the plane we were in… as it was flying. He had a parachute on though."

"How did that happen?"

"My team was getting sent back to the NEST base on Diego Garcia – our department was already in hot water due to the Decepticon threat these past few days. So, coming here with Optimus wasn't in the plans."

"But everything worked out!" she insisted. "The Decepticons are destroyed and Optimus is alive."

"Yes, but I don't think that everyone will see it that way. I did ignore Director Galloway's orders to do this, and by extension the president. The general should help plead my case; if it weren't for his trust in me, we wouldn't have been successful here today."

"You've proved before that you can handle tough situations. That's probably inspired lots of confidence in you."

Lennox smiled at the comment.

"Okay, we're almost finished," the medic announced. "I'll just bandage your arm and you'll be good to go."

"Thanks for sitting here with me," Mikaela said.

"It's the least I can do." Will gazed at her; it took him a moment to realize that he was still holding her hand.

* * *

As soon as the whole battlefield was locked down, the NEST soldiers began making their way to the Aqaba Airport where the C-17s had landed after the airdrop. Bumblebee would be driving Sam and his parents there, and Sam asked if Mikaela would ride with them. She turned down the offer. As much as she liked being around Bee, the thought being in an enclosed space with not only her ex-boyfriend but also his parents was far too awkward. In the end, Leo went along – he would probably talk the entire trip.

The Autobots were willing to take passengers, even though they were all exhausted from the fight. Lennox and some of the soldiers rode with Ironhide, and Simmons decided to stay with Skids. Mikaela didn't really know any of the other people too well, and she just wanted some peace and quiet.

"Are you in need of transportation?" a voice asked.

She looked up at Optimus Prime as he approached. "Yes, please."

Optimus transformed into his alt-mode and the door popped open.

"I'm actually really tired, would you mind if I just took a nap in the sleeping compartment back here?" Mikaela asked him.

"Go ahead; I would like a quiet drive myself."

She had never been inside of the Prime's truck form, and felt a little strange being driven around by the Autobot leader himself. There weren't any blankets, but Optimus heated the interior to make her feel comfortable. She was asleep in moments.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_I'm really getting behind in my posting schedule – very sorry about this late posting :( This is a nice long chapter though, with lots of stuff happening, so I hope that you enjoy it! Many thanks for all of the alerts and reviews; you readers are awesome.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

After hours of traveling, most of the NEST team was onboard an aircraft carrier headed for the United States. Sam had insisted that his parents resume their vacation in France and the government kindly put them on the next plane there – first class. The twin Autobots, Skids and Mudflap, also went to France for undercover protection. Sam and his roommate needed to get back to college. This time Bumblebee would be staying close to the young man, despite his protests, in case of any further Deception interference. Simmons also lived on the eastern side of the country, so he wouldn't have far to travel. However, Mikaela lived in California, roughly another 2448 miles away.

They had been allowed to stand up on deck for a while that evening. The wind was brisk and cool, and she was glad for the jacket that someone had given her. Sam and Optimus stood at one end of the sea-worthy runway, gazing out on the Atlantic Ocean. It was so calm right now; the madness and violence of the afternoon behind them. As soon as they reached New Jersey they would all have to be debriefed, NEST personnel and the civilians alike. Then she would try to get back to living her normal life.

The Nimitz class aircraft carrier was immense – it was called a city, and for good reason since it held over 5,000 people. There was a near-constant thundering of jets landing and taking off on deck, while below there were thousands of tasks being carried out to keep the ship operational. There could be no space wasted in any area – the upper decks were already challenging to navigate, but the mid-ship sections were reportedly like a labyrinth. Thus, it was easy to get lost.

"Hey, I'm going to check out their recreation area. Want to come?" Sam asked.

"No thanks, I think I'll just head to my room," Mikaela replied. Even after sleeping intermittently throughout the past few hours, she still felt tired from the effects of jet lag.

"Aw come on! This might be the only time that we're ever going to be on a ship like this."

She sighed. "Ok, maybe I'll come in a little while."

Leo was also going along yet still took a moment to make an advance on her as he walked past. "Or I could stay with you in your room and we could-"

"Don't even go there," she warned him, glaring furiously.

Mikaela shut the door to the cramped crew cabin and quietly climbed into her bunk. The female officers were packed into their quarters like sardines – several people in a room and stacked bunks two high – though it wasn't nearly as overcrowded as the rooms of the midshipmen, the enlisted sailors. The bunk space was only big enough for one person to lie down in it; a claustrophobic feeling was putting it lightly. Mikaela tried to rest, yet she couldn't seem to fall asleep. Maybe some time at the rec-center wasn't such a bad idea after all.

After asking a crew member for directions she was able to find her way there. It turned out to be more of a fitness center though, and Mikaela didn't relish the thought of entering a room filled with men lifting weights.

"Excuse me miss, are you lost?" someone asked.

She must have looked so out-of-place; the tag clipped onto her clothing identified her and her reason for being onboard. "Um, are any of the mess halls still open?"

"Probably – I was actually going there myself," the pilot answered, "I'll show you the way."

Mikaela ended up getting a mediocre hot dog and sat around talking with the pilot for a little while. The mess hall was fairly quiet and more relaxing to be in. He talked about some of the recent flights and routines that he'd done and she spoke about the Special Ops conflict that she'd been pulled into – she wasn't permitted to say much more than that. Eventually the pilot got called away and had to excuse himself. By now Mikaela was finally feeling weary and she decided to return to her bunk.

She thought she was going the same way she had come, but it quickly became apparent that she was lost in the maze of hallways. There were a couple of men approaching from the other end and they started whistling when they saw her. It wasn't the first time that had happened, and she'd learned to ignore the unwanted attention. Only this time, the tight corridors would make it difficult to get past them, and she wasn't about to turn back and get even more disoriented.

One of the men purposely leaned in to brush against her as she tried to slip past. Mikaela wasn't about to let someone slide his arm along her body without protesting it. "Hey, hands to yourself," she said firmly.

"So you mean I can't do this?"

There was a slap on her derriere followed by some raucous laughter. Her face flushed bright red and she whirled around. "You heard me the first time!"

"Well I'm not a very good listener, so you'll have to tell me again, babe," the man replied.

Mikaela turned again to leave but she felt a large hand close upon her wrist. "Let go!"

The man came closer and she tried to step away but bumped into the wall. He pressed his body against hers, his leering face and stale breath unbearably close.

"Get off!" she shrieked, trying to push him off and feeling pain in her stitched-up arm.

He just laughed and joked with his partner, who stood beside him.

"Get away from her." The order came with a strong shove and the man slammed back into the opposite wall two feet away. Lennox locked eyes with Mikaela, who looked very relieved to see him.

"Who do you think you are, buddy?"

"The guy telling you to take a walk."

The man raised a fist. "I'm gonna-"

"What's going on here?"

Everyone froze at the sight of the officer, who stood there waiting for an explanation.

Will spoke first; "Just a small disagreement, sir. We'll be moving along now with your permission." As soon as the officer nodded he took the young woman's hand and they left, though not before hearing the officer give a stern warning to the two men.

They were far away from the area when he spoke to her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think so. They were just a couple of morons."

"Well those 'morons' had you alone and cornered in an empty hallway."

"I know to knee them where it hurts," she said, "but I'm really, really glad that you came along."

"Me too. I was kinda lost. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes." Mikaela sighed. "I get that sort of thing from time to time. I used to think that getting noticed like that was cool, but then I realized how degrading it is."

"Guys just can't ignore a pretty face, and you're beautiful… I mean… speaking from a guy's perspective… but it's more than just the physical that is, er, should be attractive…" Will wished he could've just clamped a hand over his mouth. Of course she was gorgeous, but he would surely creep her out if he rambled on that way.

She laughed lightly. "I get what you're saying. Hey, I think this is my cabin."

He glanced at the signage on the door. "Well, I guess we would've found it sooner or later. I should probably find my room and get some rest."

"Will, thanks a lot."

He smiled in return. "You're welcome."

* * *

After almost two days of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, the massive aircraft carrier reached the east coast of the United States. Everyone seemed to be glad to be off the ship; the Autobots had been crammed into the holding areas, and the humans into tight living spaces. Lennox was not used to being cooped-up like that, and with his tall frame he found it difficult getting around.

The entire group proceeded directly to the NEST base there in New Jersey. There was a lot of debriefing that had to be done, starting with the civilians and the top people on the team. It seemed to take forever – there were so many questions and since Will had commanded this unauthorized mission, the responsibility of the whole situation was his. At least General Morshower would back him up.

For the civilians, the process went much faster; all they had to do was explain how and why they were involved. Eventually they all ended up at a seating area to wait for further instructions.

"I can't wait to get back to the dorm and tell the guys!" Leo was nearly bouncing in his chair with excitement. "Oh my gosh – The Real Effing Deal! I have to put this all on the site!"

"I'm pretty sure that the agents just told us not to do that," Sam countered.

"Oh come on! It's the story of the century! Maybe of all time!"

"Leo, government agents will come and snatch you faster that you could imagine, take it from someone who knows."

"The government picked you up? Man, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I'm not supposed to be talking about it," Sam muttered. "I shouldn't have even said this much!"

Mikaela remembered that night all too well – when Simmons had been a part of the secret government division Sector Seven, and they took her and Sam into custody because of the Autobots. "You guys are going to be great roommates," she commented with some sarcasm.

"Totally!" Leo agreed enthusiastically. "You are like the coolest guy ever!"

Simmons strode into the room and took a seat. "Well, my not-so-humble origins sure surprised them! And they thought that they were top agents – ha!" he said triumphantly.

The other three just shrugged in response.

"I hope we can get outta here soon," Simmons murmured.

Mikaela couldn't wait to get home and put all of this behind her. She missed her dad, and her bike, and the motorcycle shop, and even the shop dog, Bonecrusher.

* * *

By the early evening the travel plans were basically finalized. British Agent Graham had already left for England. A couple airplanes were leaving for California with some of the soldiers and Autobots. Optimus and Ratchet would stay at the eastern base, while Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Jolt would return to the west. Simmons was getting a ride back to his home and deli in a government SUV. Sam and Leo were going back to college in Bumblebee, since he would also be staying with them. All of this left Mikaela with two planes to choose from.

"Ok, I can put you on the flight leaving right now, or you can ride in the later one," Lennox told her. "I should warn you that the first on is basically full, so there won't be much room."

"Are you taking the first flight?" she asked.

"No," he responded with a weary sigh. "I'm taking the second one. I still have another meeting with my superiors and the plane can't leave without me. Epps is taking the first one with Ironhide and Sideswipe; Jolt the rookie is stuck waiting here."

"Well… I'll take the second one then."

"Ok, it's right this way… wait, what?"

"I don't mind waiting for you."

"Oh." Will was surprised, and pleased, but tried not to show either emotion. Mikaela actually chose to fly back to California with him. "Ok then… I'll let you know when we're finally ready to take off."

"See you later."

"What was all that about?" a voice asked, full of implied meaning.

Mikaela turned around to see Sam approaching. "We were talking about the flight schedule; our plane will be a little delayed."

"And what about that smile you're trying to hide?"

She shrugged and looked away. This was such an ex-boyfriend moment.

"Seriously, Mikaela? Don't tell me you're interested in him; he's like what… fourteen years older than you!"

"Sam, I really don't want to talk about this."

"Let me guess, 'tight abs and really big arms' – does that ring any bells? I seem to remember lots of the guys that you dated in high school fit that description too."

"If you think that I haven't changed and matured since high school then I guess you really don't know me. I am done talking about this. Have a good year in college; I'll see you around."

Mikaela walked over to Bumblebee who was talking with a fellow Autobot. He saw her coming and waved; he had starting learning various human gestures since the moment he came to Earth. "Hey, Bee! Thanks for everything. Take care of Sam, okay?"

The tall yellow being nodded his response since his throat hadn't fully healed yet.

"You take care as well," she added.

Bee gave her a salute and croaked, "You too."

* * *

Finally, Lennox and his flight were given clearance to leave. Everyone else had left ages ago but Mikaela and Autobot Jolt were still waiting patiently. Epps had gotten to use a giant C-17, and it had been completely full of people, Autobots, and equipment. Will had a smaller Lockheed C-130 Hercules at his disposal, with only Jolt and some additional supplies that had to be shipped.

Will couldn't get on the aircraft fast enough. It wasn't like he had anything in particular that was waiting for him on the west coast, but he was suddenly craving the idea of having time off. He had been working with NEST for twenty-one months now; it had been a while since he'd last had a vacation. He glanced over at Mikaela, who sat beside him; she had a small smile on her face.

She noticed him looking. "What is it?"

"Nothing – you just seem happy."

"Yeah, I am. These past few days have been so crazy I just can't wait to get home. Do you have anyone waiting for you in California?"

"No, not anymore. I was engaged a couple years ago, but when I started with NEST she stopped waiting… Being in the military is a huge commitment, but I chose this life, so I guess it's not fair trying to make that choice for someone else."

Mikaela was surprised to hear him talk like this; she had always thought that he had someone special in his life. "Well, it's a commitment that someone should want to share with you. I'm sorry for bringing it up though." She sighed. "I guess a lot of things changed two years ago. Sam and I met and started our relationship, but that's been over for a while now."

"I kind of wondered – you seemed different around each other," Will admitted.

"Yeah… I miss him, but I'm also glad that his college is on the other side of the country so we aren't running into each other all the time."

* * *

At some point they both dozed off, but something made Will's eyes snap open. The plane was still flying and the floor was level. Mikaela's head was resting on his shoulder. He looked around a little bewildered. Then he heard it, the intercom blaring some announcement. He was about to settle back down when he realized what the message was: "_Now approaching Canadian airspace._" His body tensed, the movement causing Mikaela to stir. Lennox unbuckled his safety-belt and strode briskly to the cockpit.

He burst into the control center a little louder than he wanted to; everyone looked at him at once, except the main pilot. "Did I just hear correctly that we're going into Canadian airspace?"

"Yes, Major Lennox. We'll be landing in Calgary, Alberta for refueling. We should be there in about…"

"There seems to be a misunderstanding; this flight is going to San Diego, California."

"Uh, no sir. This is the course that we were given. There was a change in the schedule shortly before we took off."

"Change in schedule? Whose orders?"

The navigator picked up a chart and flipped through a few pages. "Director Galloway."

"Galloway!" Lennox shouted. "Since when is he giving orders?" In a slightly calmer voice he added, "I need to contact General Morshower right away."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_First off, thanks for the reviews folks! I love getting them :) This is a nice chapter – it's not action packed, so I got a chance to develop some nice interpersonal stuff (you'll see, just read). Not much else to say about it, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"You'll be landing where soon?"

"Canada. In Calgary… wherever that is."

"Ok, I'll have this looked up; one moment, Major."

There were some indistinct sounds on the other end of the line as General Morshower located the paperwork that had put Will Lennox's airplane way off course. He was supposed to be headed for California, but had only just discovered that a certain National Security Advisor had given some unknown orders.

"Alright, I've got it in my hand. I sure as heck don't remember authorizing this," the General muttered. "Your plane is heading up north, way up north – Alaska."

"Alaska?" Will repeated, incredulous.

"I don't have the rest of the documents that should be with this… Tell you what, you're making a fueling stop in Calgary – by the time that happens I should have gotten to the bottom of this. Just keep your shirt on, Lennox."

Will felt like tearing his sleeves off just from thinking about Theodore Galloway. "Yes sir, I'll be waiting for your call." He rejoined the young woman still buckled into her seat, looking as though she'd just awoken.

"Are we there yet?"

"No, not even close."

"What? What do you mean?" Mikaela asked, sitting up and combing her hair back with her fingers.

"There's been some mix-up in the flight plan and we've taken a detour; we're flying over Canada right now."

"Canada? That's another country!"

"Yeah, tell me about it. We'll be landing soon and the General's already sorting things out. Sorry about this – I should've put you on the other flight."

"It's not your fault," she assured him. "Besides, I've never been to Canada, and Jolt probably needs to stretch his legs after all this travelling."

A non-automotive sound came from the peppy blue car strapped into the aircraft. The Autobot rookie was likely quite sick of sitting around in small spaces by this time; first the flight to Egypt, then the aircraft carrier to the United States, and currently in yet another airplane.

* * *

"It's amazing how fast Galloway works," Morshower commented. "When you were all in Egypt, he managed to get a Priority One Extraction and arrived back in Washington long before your team. I had him in my office talking my ear off before I knew what was happening. Anyway, in that short space of time he's gotten a ton of paperwork through."

"Like what?"

"Like sending you on another mission."

"No way! There is no way I'm doing that! He doesn't have the authority to order me anywhere!" Lennox shouted.

"I'm afraid he does. By order of the president he is still an official liaison for NEST. I am working on getting that part dealt with but that will take time. Until then, he's still out for revenge on you."

"Why doesn't he just court martial me then?"

"I think he felt that a mission in Siberia would be just as bad."

"Siberia, as in Russia?" Will held the phone away from his face as he fumed aloud. "What about the rest of the team? Most of them went ahead to California."

"It's just you and whoever is with you. The extensive mission briefing will be waiting for you in Russia, but I'll have some details waiting for you when you land in Anchorage."

"I've got a civilian with me – I can't take her on a mission."

"The orders are already in motion; unless I call up someone from San Diego…"

Will let out a long, heavy sigh. "Fine, I'll go."

"I'll make this up to you, Lennox. Thanks for doing this."

Mikaela instantly knew that things were not going well just by at the expression on his face. "What's going on?"

"I've been sent on another mission, and by extension, you have too."

"What? Why?"

By the time he had explained the ordeal with Director Galloway their plane was getting ready for takeoff. She was surprised by the backlash that he and his team had been facing, especially after all that NEST did to deal with the not-human-friendly Decepticons.

* * *

The rest of the flight was largely uneventful. It had already been evening when they left New Jersey, so it felt like they had been flying in the dusk for ages. Between sleeping and searching the aircraft for food, there wasn't much else to do. The only happy persons on the plane were the pilots, who were pleased by the high-quality fuel they received while in the province of Alberta. Finally they touched down in Anchorage, Alaska and Lennox picked up the information that the General had sent.

"Oh, here's another change in plans," Will said as he scanned the papers. "Ratchet will be joining us."

"But he and Optimus were going to stay in New Jersey."

"After we left, he was assigned to this mission as well. He should arrive here within the hour, then we'll be flying to Russia."

Russia – that was one place that Mikaela never expected to be. She glanced down at her clothing; white jeans, a thin top, and the bomber jacket she'd been given on the aircraft carrier. If she knew anything about Siberia, it was darn cold there, and she would freeze to death in what she was wearing. She looked up and found Will also gazing at her.

"This is crazy; I have to find a plane to put you on. You can't go on a mission like this."

"I've come this far with you, I might as well continue."

"It's going to be intense."

"So was Egypt. I don't want to abandon you now. Besides, if I go back home, I'll still be thinking about you in Siberia."

Will sighed. "Ok, you can come. But after this I'm personally taking you home."

* * *

More waiting. At least this time it was in a lounge at the Elmendorf Air Force Base. It was early evening, but it felt much later to Mikaela and Lennox. He surprised her by announcing that they were going shopping; they didn't have all the supplies they needed for the mission, so they hit the stores to get some last-minute equipment. Jolt also seemed enthusiastic for a trip that involved racing around town.

"Think layers and warmth," Will advised as they walked into an Eddie Bauer. "Where we're going is exceptionally harsh territory, so we'll have to be prepared."

The line of expeditionary clothing called First Ascent proved to have just what they were looking for. They both picked up some jackets, fleece sweaters, baselayers for insulation, stormpants, gloves, and socks. At the next store, another place that had outerwear, they bought boots and hats.

Mikaela felt a little guilty going on a shopping spree like this, but if the military had deemed it necessary for the mission… "Um, Will I need to get some personal items."

"Did we miss something?" he asked, looking at the small mountain of bags in the backseat of the car.

"Well, I could really use something to sleep in and some underwear," she replied quietly, feeling a little flushed.

"Oh, right. Jolt I think I saw a Target on that list of stores, let's go there."

Will sat on a seat outside of the change rooms, in the intimates department. He was feeling uncomfortable waiting like this, wondering if he should go to the magazine area. A couple minutes later Mikaela stuck her head out the door and called a saleswoman over.

"Excuse me, could you get me a size larger?" she asked, indicating which bra she wanted.

"Yes miss." The woman noticed Lennox sitting nearby and lowered her voice, "Is that your boyfriend over there?"

Mikaela opened her mouth to answer but couldn't think of an appropriate response. Fortunately the woman continued talking.

"We carry styles and colours that are much more exciting than the two that you've currently chosen," she said, giving a knowing smile.

"I just need the basics today, thanks."

The woman went off to find her a size up, and Mikaela slouched onto the bench in the change room. Thankfully Will hadn't overheard the exchange; yet, this evening had felt so much like the time that she and Sam used to spend together.

* * *

By the time they arrived back at the base, the aircraft that had flown Ratchet up north had landed. In the privacy of a hangar, the two Autobots transformed and conversed while the final preparations were made to fly out that evening. They would continue their journey in the Hercules, which would have more than enough room to hold both Jolt and Ratchet. Though not particularly pleased with where they were headed, Will was at least happy to be on the move.

"Hello, Major Lennox."

His muscles tensed before he could even visually confirm who the person was, but he had a fairly good guess.

"Thought you were just going to skip off into the sunset?"

Will turned and glared at Director Theodore Galloway, who approached with two burly guards on his heels. "What brings you up north?"

"You didn't expect me to forget the man who caused me to deploy my parachute early, sucking me out of a moving airplane, and nearly breaking my neck, did you?"

"Your neck looks fine, but I could fix that for you," Lennox muttered.

"I just wanted to make certain that you got on the plane heading for Siberia. No more tricky business from you, Major!" He waved an accusing finger back and forth as he spoke.

Mikaela entered the hangar and found the Will talking with a much shorter man. They appeared to be having a private discussion and neither looked too happy; she would have left if it wasn't for the bag of supplies that had to be placed with the rest of their gear. She tried to walk in unnoticed, but didn't get too far before Galloway spotted her.

"NEST sure has some fresh, young personnel these days," he remarked. "I was informed that the rest of your crew went ahead to San Diego. Wait a moment – aren't you one of those civilian kids who's involved with these robotic terrors?"

Will rolled his eyes; this guy had access to way too much information. "As per your orders, Director, everyone with me on my aircraft is on this mission. Since she was onboard, she's on the mission."

"She's a civilian! These are classified missions and she is not going under any circumstances. I will not allow you to continue to bend rules and foul-up procedure, Major Lennox. It's a good thing that I took the time to double-check on you. This is what's going to happen: you and aliens will be getting onto that plane for Siberia, and she will not."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"How dare you!" Galloway motioned to one of his guards. "As a matter of National Security I will not let a civilian go on a military mission. Take her, she's coming with us."

Lennox stepped in front of the guard and for a moment it looked as though things might take a turn for the worse. Mikaela ran over and stood between the two towering men. "Ok, that's enough. I don't want any trouble – let me get my bag, it's in the ready room."

Will stared at her in astonishment; she wasn't actually going to cave to the pressure, was she? Just before she turned to leave she gave him a wink, and instantly he knew what she was scheming. He looked over at Galloway, "It looks like you won this round."

"Don't doubt it, G.I. Joe," came the snarky reply. "I'll be waiting in the car missy, so hurry up!" he called out after the young woman. The Director turned on his heel and marched back to his government SUV.

Mikaela cringed when she heard the word "missy" – now there was a phrase she hated. She peered around the edge of the doorway to make sure that Galloway and his henchmen had left the scene before sprinting back to where Lennox and the Autobots were standing.

"That fool…" Ratchet muttered.

"Yeah I know," Lennox agreed, "but we've got to get the rest of this gear into the plane before he gets back here."

As if on cue, the loading crew drove up and piled everything onto a service truck. "We're ready to take off, Major Lennox. Do you want to board now?"

"Yes, right away!"

The Autobots transformed into their alt-modes and Mikaela leapt inside of Ratchet's emergency vehicle form, ducking down to avoid being seen. Will got into the blue Chevy and they drove out to the waiting aircraft. Galloway was standing outside the hangar and immediately flagged them down.

"Where is that girl?" he demanded.

Will shrugged. "Putting on makeup? You know how girls are." The driver's side window rolled back up and they drove off. In the rear view mirror he could see Galloway angrily motioning for his men to check the hangar's ready room.

It wasn't until they were settled on the plane that the Director realized what had happened. The plane's ramp was closing and they could see him outside, shouting furiously. Mikaela and Will laughed nearly to the point of tears. Next stop, Russia!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_We're in Russia now! I did way too much research for this, trying to get the locations just right, so I hope it was worth it. If you live in or have visited Russian Far East I would especially appreciate any info on the area. I'd also like to hear what your take is on the new character… read on!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

In just under six hours the Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft landed in Magadan, Russia, over three thousand kilometers from Anchorage. Mikaela couldn't get off the airplane fast enough; she had spent way too much time flying this past week. It was around five degrees Celsius, much colder than she was used to, but Alaska had already given her a taste of that. Lennox had to go check on some things, and while he was gone she noticed fuel trucks pull up beside their plane and started to fill the tanks. There was only one reason they would be refueling again…

"One more stop, I promise." Will's tired eyes were apologetic as he spoke to her. "After this we'll be where we need to be."

"As long as I don't have to sit in an airplane for another six hours I think I can handle it," she replied.

In a little over four and a half hours they arrived at Tynda. This time there was someone waiting to meet them when they landed. "Major Lennox, thank you for coming out here so quickly. I'm Second Lieutenant Raymond Hawes. The rest of the team is already at the hotel, I can take you there now."

"Thanks, Lieutenant. Are the Autobots ok to go there as well?"

Hawes glanced at the vehicles coming rolling down the ramp of the plane. "The blue Chevy won't raise any eyebrows, but the emergency vehicle might. Just instruct him to contact the rest of the Autobots and they'll tell him where to rendezvous."

As soon as all of their gear was sorted out, Jolt drove Will and Mikaela to the Hotel Yunost where the NEST team was staying. Both of them were so tired that all they wanted to do was go straight to bed. Neither of them could stop yawning; Will was glad that he wasn't doing the driving in this foreign town.

"When would you like to have a team briefing, Major?" Hawes asked as he showed them to their rooms.

"Not too early… would nine in the morning be alright?"

"That would be a good time; I was thinking the same thing. We'll have to be out of here by eleven at the latest though; there is still some travelling to be done before we reach the Decepticons – but that will all be discussed tomorrow."

More travelling? Will rolled his eyes and silently cursed the National Security Advisor Director Galloway. A quick look at Mikaela and he knew that she was just as dismayed as he was.

"Ok Major, this is your room here." Hawes handed him the room key, then turned to the young woman. "And your name is?"

"Mikaela Banes."

He checked a clipboard that he'd been carrying, scanning the crew list. "Hmm… I don't see it here. B-A-N-E-S, right?

"Yes."'

"That's strange… Were you assigned to the team at the last minute?"

"Well, I, umm…" her eyes darted to Will's; she wasn't sure how to explain her presence there.

He didn't need to be asked, Will took charge of the situation. "Ms. Banes is not a member of NEST; consider her an auxiliary member on this mission. It's a long story that I'll explain later."

"I'm afraid that we've only got so many rooms reserved," he replied. "They're almost all double rooms, and this particular team doesn't have any other female personnel this time around, so that does present a bit of a situation…"

Lennox unlocked the door to his room and dropped all of his gear inside. He spied the second bed and a slightly crazy idea came into his mind. "Do I have any roommates?" he asked the lieutenant.

"No, you're one of the few who doesn't."

"What if she stayed here?"

"Uhh…" Hawes appeared highly apprehensive at the suggestion. "It's not really following protocol, but under the circumstances it might be ok; anyways, she _did_ travel here with you."

"It's up to you Mikaela – we can always make other arrangements if you feel uncomfortable."

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two men. "It will only be for one night, and all I need is a place to sleep. I'm fine with it if you are."

Hawes shrugged and Will nodded his affirmative answer.

"Alright then," the lieutenant said, though not sounding completely convinced, "instructions for everything are in the room. I'll see you at oh-nine-hundred hours then."

The double room was small, but very clean. For Mikaela, it was perfect – she could have gotten right into the bed at that moment. Lennox, however, was really starting to regret voicing his idea. This didn't look decent no matter how someone looked at it; he was already mentally rehearsing what he would say when someone asked him about the attractive young woman sharing his accommodations.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her. "Here's a menu – if you'd like an early dinner."

"Actually I'm not even hungry anymore, just tired. Would you mind if I shower first?"

"Shower?" Will gulped. "No, go ahead. I'm going to go see the guys on the team, get an idea of who's on board." He literally dropped what he was doing and left the room. This was a bad idea, but it was only for a night, he kept telling himself. Will returned twenty minutes later and tentatively knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

He peered into the room and saw Mikaela re-packing her bag. She flashed him a smile. "Come on in, it's your place too."

"Yeah, right," he laughed nervously.

Her long, dark hair was still damp and she'd taken off all of her makeup – she didn't wear much anyways and looked just as amazing without it. The clean smell of soap and shampoo on her was nearly irresistible. Will grabbed his stuff and hustled to the shower.

Mikaela turned on the television and flipped through the limited number of channels. She wasn't really planning on watching anything but was curious to see what Russian programming looked like. After a few minutes she could feel her eyelids getting heavy again. She turned off the set and got ready to crawl under the sheets. It was already a little cool in the room so she pulled out the extra blankets for both herself and Lennox.

Snuggling into the bedding until she felt comfortable Mikaela lay there thinking. She felt a pang of homesickness; for some reason it felt like when her father had been sent to jail and she moved in with her aunt and uncle. It all came back – the smell of the room that suddenly belonged to her, the knowledge that she was just about all alone in life. A tear slipped from her cheek and onto the pillow.

When he came out of the bathroom the room was lit by only a couple dim lamps. Mikaela looked to be asleep and Will tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb her. He turned off the remaining lights and got into bed. Although it was dark he found himself looking in her direction as he lay there. He should have put her on that plane for California. It was selfish wanting her to come on a potentially dangerous mission like this. A part of him was vehemently denying that he felt the slightest bit of anything for her. Maybe it was just the emotional scars that his ex-fiancé had left him with; but whatever it was, it hurt inside his chest and it worried him.

* * *

The knock at the door slowly dragged Will Lennox into a conscious state, but only barely. He rolled out of bed and stumbled to the door, narrowly avoiding the edge of a table.

"Good morning Major!" It was Hawes, looking and sounding chipper. "Did I wake you up? Sorry about that, I knew you'd be tired."

"What time is it?" he mumbled groggily.

"Eight A.M. – you wanted to have the briefing at nine…"

"Oh right, of course."

"We've got a meeting room reserved on the main floor where we can have breakfast and the briefing all at once."

"Great. I'll see you then."

"Was your, uh, roommate alright?"

Will squinted at him. "What?"

"Nevermind. See you in an hour, sir."

He shrugged and closed the door. At least he had plenty of time to shave and get dressed. Will started rummaging around for his things, which is when he noticed a form in the bed opposite his. It took him a moment to remember who that "roommate" was. Mikaela was still sound asleep, curled up in bed with her back to him. He thought about waking her, but she'd only be waiting for her turn in the bathroom, so he let her keep sleeping. By the time he was finished he found her awake and sitting on the bed, watching a Russian news program.

"Good morning," she greeted him.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"I don't think I moved once all night."

"Same here. Well, the bathroom's all yours. As soon as you're done we can go down and meet the team."

"Why don't you go ahead; I'll be down soon." Mikaela thought that it would be too awkward for them to walk in together, especially after how tense the lieutenant had been last night.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I won't be long and I can find my way around."

"Ok, see you later."

* * *

There were a little over thirty people in the meeting room, all of them conversing and eating. As soon as everyone had gotten settled the briefing began. Will was glad that he'd arrived a little earlier than the rest of the team; it gave him a chance to get settled and get in the right mind-set for the mission. He noticed Mikaela slip in a bit later; she was sitting near the back of the room, probably feeling out of place in the special operations team.

As Second Lieutenant, Hawes didn't have much experience as an officer, but he seemed to relish taking charge over this meeting. "All right, let's get this underway!" he started. "As you should know by now, we are in the Russian Far East. Russian satellite intelligence has picked up an unidentified structure in the Stanovoy Mountains and since then it has been confirmed that it is of alien origin. That's where we come in. We know that the Decepticons have been up to something – we believe that it's a communication station – but whatever the case may be, our orders are to take it down.

"Within the hour we'll be heading for this location," he pointed to a circled area on a wall-map behind him. "The roads will not be good; think dirt logging roads and lots of ruts. Our Autobots will do some reconnaissance in the meantime so that when we arrive we can make a solid plan of attack.

"In charge of this mission is Major Lennox, who as you know has come straight from a battle in Egypt, and is here to personally oversee everything." There was some applause and a few cheers as Lennox stood and did a quick wave. "And Petr Andronov is very much a Russian, so if any translating needs to be done, ask him." The scientist did a casual salute from his seat in response to his introduction.

The briefing wrapped shortly afterwards, and Will strolled over to Mikaela as casually as possible. "Hey, do you still want to stay for this?" he asked, half-jokingly; he was ready to send her back to the States in a moment if she wanted to leave.

"Yes. I'm sure that you guys know what you're doing. By the way, what should I say when they ask me what I'm doing here?"

He was just about to respond when Hawes approached. "Lennox, I probably should have asked you about this before this _classified_ briefing, but Ms. Banes is…?"

"Ms. Banes is well-acquainted with the Autobots and has a background in automotive mechanics; she volunteered for this mission and was given permission by the higher-ups."

"Oh, alright then." Hawes smiled and left.

"Thanks for that," she whispered, then gave Will a mischievous look. "So if I say that I'm a mechanic who works with the Autobots…"

"Then that should go over pretty well."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Sorry for the late posting on this chapter. I found this one tough to write; I had to do a lot of brainstorming to figure out where the plot is going, but I think I've got it back on track. This chapter focuses a little more on Mikaela's thoughts and feelings, but Lennox is in there too! Plus more Autobots! Aside from the one review I received from a troll, I haven't gotten many recently :( Don't be afraid to write a review (unless you're a troll, then be afraid); it's only going to take 3 minutes out of your 24 hour day. Click that review button, you know you want to.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The NEST operation had been requested by the Russian government, but it was still a covert one. Thus, all the personnel wore a less conspicuous uniform and drove unmarked vehicles, one of which was a large Cadillac SUV. Major Lennox, Second Lieutenant Hawes, and several other troops got in and drove off right away. The rest of the team got into their respective Humvees and other rough-terrain vehicles and fell into line, forming a convoy. At the very end was a little blue car, and Mikaela.

"Hey, I thought you left," she addressed the car once she got inside.

Jolt's voice came through the speakers, "No, everyone just brushed past me. I guess I do look a little out of place for the mission."

"Yeah, I know what you mean…"

As the raced after the rest of the NEST team, Jolt gave her a run-down of the Autobot team. "The SUV up in front is Gears – he's such a complainer, I can't wait to prank him. Right now we're going to reconvene with Breakaway, Ratchet, Scattorshot, Springer, Dune Runner, and Whirl."

"That's a lot of Autobots! Where are they all staying?"

"In a warehouse outside of town. Gears said that a few of them had to come in at night so that they wouldn't be spotted. Whirl is in charge of our troops; he hasn't had many opportunities to lead missions, so that's why Optimus had Ratchet fly out. Although he's mainly a medic, he has experience and good judgment. He's a smart mech!"

"I've known Ratchet a long time; he's one of the first Autobots I met."

"Really? At Mission City?"

"No, shortly before that."

"You and Sam Witwicky?"

"Yes…"

"Bumblebee told me all about when he came to Earth and met you both, and Mission City, and the guardian thing… Made me wish that I'd gotten here earlier."

Mikaela chuckled. Jolt was an easy Autobot to get along with, as far as alien beings were. With all of the men and military stuff, it seemed like these two would be spending a lot of time together.

* * *

The warehouse was decrepit and dank, but it was cavernous, making it the perfect place for the other six Autobots. Even so, they were probably jostling for space. As the convoy approached they assembled outside, looking eager to move along. Everyone formed a large circle for another briefing; this time Whirl was doing the talking.

"Our reconnaissance has shown that the Decepticon base is much more advanced than we anticipated. It is built right into the mountain, so at least half of it may be underground." He projected a holographic image to narrate. "Using this logging road here, the ground units will be able to access the area. Other routes are indicated on the northern and southern sides for additional exits. The air crew will need to be careful not to advance too quickly, or else they will know that we are coming."

"Just how many 'Cons should we be expecting?" Scattorshot asked.

"Unknown. It has been confirmed that at least three trucks are Decepticons, but we don't have anyway of knowing until we get closer. It appears that they are still under construction, so the base is not fully operational and there may be a larger crew of workers there."

"Remember that our orders are to destroy this base," Ratchet added. "We cannot let them get a foothold, especially in such a remote area where they could more easily go undetected."

"If we see anything useful should we take it along?" Jolt queried.

"Only if it's not something dangerous – we would have to assess that on an individual basis."

Whirl continued; "A meeting point has been selected not too far from the road leading up the mountain; we'll meet there. Breakaway, Springer, and I will fly ahead to secure the perimeter. NEST, roll out!"

Mikaela stared up into the sky as the Autobots transformed into a fighter jet, an osprey aircraft, and a helicopter, and raced away. The convoy gained Ratchet, Scattorshot, and Dune Runner – the later two had alt-modes of an armored truck and an assault buggy respectively. Some of the soldiers transferred into these new vehicles, then they were on the road once again.

"Just how long is it to the meeting point?" she tentatively asked Jolt.

"About three hours, depending on road conditions."

"Oh…" Mikaela looked out the window as they drove further and further off the beaten path. The past few days had been crazy – arriving back in the States and then leaving again immediately after. Even with all of the travelling that she'd been doing this was the first time that she really sat back and thought it all through. What was she doing in Russia? Granted, she had asked herself that when she found herself in Egypt. She must have dozed off, because a jarring bump snapped her awake.

"Sorry about that – rough roads." Jolt was driving as carefully as he could, but the ruts in the dirt road were huge.

About twenty minutes later they stopped at a clearing; it was an area that had likely been used as a logging camp not too long ago. All of the vehicles parked and the troops got out. Mikaela could see Lennox off in the distance, and started moving in his direction.

"Hey, how was the drive?" he asked upon seeing her.

"Not too bad. So, what's happening now?"

"We're setting up camp for a few hours. Once it's dark we'll move in – we'll have some cover, though it might not help much. The Decepticons are probably working in the day time, because lights would be too visible at night. In that case, there should be fewer 'Cons to worry about."

"What about us, will we be alright here?"

"I'm fairly confident that we will be. This area is tucked down at the base of the mountains, and since the 'Cons aren't too far up they shouldn't be able to spot us."

Lieutenant Hawes approached the two. "Major, I've got a couple questions as to the set-up…"

Mikaela excused herself and let Will get on with his job. Besides, she had a single person tent to set up; she didn't feel like sleeping in the backseat of the Chevy, and Jolt would want to transform and walk about.

* * *

The light was beginning to fade and the temperature was dropping quickly. They couldn't risk a fire since the Decepticons would spot them right away. Some of the soldiers were resting in small tents, but most of them milled around the command vehicles, those being the ones that Lennox and Hawes were traveling in.

"Sir, just earlier this week we received the message that NEST had been deactivated by order of the president. Then we heard that that order got reversed – what's going on?" one of the men asked Lennox.

"Yeah, and we were told that your team was being sent back to Diego Garcia. And then the Egypt thing…" someone else added.

"I've got to tell you, things have been crazy. You guys probably got the briefing from Director Galloway, the National Security Advisor."

"Is he still in command?"

"At this moment, I'm not sure. I had a long talk with General Morshower and he told me that he was getting that sorted out."

"That guy sounds like a weasel!"

"Well, you didn't have to deal with him in person, and that's a whole other thing."

"Is it true you threw him out of a C-17?"

"Well…" Will paused and all the men starting hollering in approval. "Let's just say I helped him exit the aircraft… early."

As everyone renewed their applause, Will noticed Mikaela approach in the background. She had been uncharacteristically quiet today; he didn't think that being surrounded by men was something that would unnerve her, though he couldn't blame her if she felt outnumbered.

"Sir, how did things go down in Egypt? We heard that we lost some of our guys."

"We did, I'm sorry to say. It wasn't an official mission, but once we were informed of the situation there, the team decided that it wouldn't be right to ignore the call. And considering that the biggest piece of alien machinery was hidden there, it's a good thing that we stepped in."

"Was the fighting that intense?"

"Yes. More 'Cons than I've ever seen at one time. If we hadn't had the support of Jordan's military, I doubt that we'd have had as many guys walking out of there. At least this time we were able to evacuate the civilians first; we didn't have to worry as much about the loss of civilian life."

"Rumour has it that there were some college kids involved."

"On the record, I can tell you that some civilians were involved. Off the record – a couple of them were the same people who were at Mission City. Actually, one of them is with us on this mission…" Will motioned for Mikaela to step forward. She slipped through the small crowd and stood near him. "This is Mikaela Banes; she volunteered to come on this operation. She's had more than her share of run-ins with Decepticons."

"What's the creepiest 'Con you've seen?"

"Tough to say," she replied. "It's a tie between a huge cat one that nearly killed me in Egypt, and the humanoid one that nearly killed my ex-boyfriend."

"Humanoid? No way!"

"What happened to those 'Cons?"

"Well, the one in Egypt got sliced up by Autobot Sideswipe, and the other one I ran over with a car." Mikaela smiled at the resulting cheers.

Lennox grinned at her. She hadn't mentioned that encounter before, but she was definitely capable of dealing with extreme situations that came out of the blue.

* * *

By dusk the team was having a light dinner; they couldn't eat too much before the mission really got underway, but they still had to have something to keep them going. After Lennox's introduction earlier, Mikaela felt much more at ease with the crew. The NEST soldiers were both friendly and respectful towards her, and she enjoyed talking with them. Even Hawes seemed to be easing up on the critical looks he'd been giving her.

During all that time, Mikaela kept catching herself looking in Will's direction. Now that she thought about it, this was the first time that she was able to personally see what he was like interacting with his team. She'd seen him in battle before – decisive, courageous, fearless – but this was a more jovial, easygoing Will Lennox. He certainly had qualities that were admired by others, ones that made him all the more attractive…

She shook her head to break up the train of thought that was going around in her head. Maybe Sam was right for warning her about him. Will was a soldier with many responsibilities and didn't have time to spend on her. He likely still thought of her as a kid, and he was just letting her have some adventure in coming along him with to Russia.

"How's your arm?" Will's voice startled her; she hadn't seen him walk over.

"It's feeling a lot better, but it's still sore. I banged it a little and I was kind of worried that I'd loosened the stitches because it hurt a lot."

"Would you like me to take a look at it? I'm not a doctor or anything, but…"

"That would be nice." She gingerly pulled back a sleeve and unwrapped the bandage that was wound around her forearm.

His eyebrows went up when he saw the stitches that closed the gash. "Well, I think it looks better than when I last saw it. I really hope that you don't have a scar."

"Well, as long as it doesn't look really awful I guess I'll be ok with it."

Will carefully ran a finger over the area and stopped when she winced. "Sorry," he said quickly.

"It's alright."

"Nothing looks out of place. As soon as we're finished here we'll get these taken out. Want me to wrap this back up?"

"Yes please."

Mikaela gazed into his face as he worked intently. He really was very considerate of others, always putting their needs and comfort ahead of his own. Will finished and looked up into her eyes. For a moment they just stared at each other. He opened his mouth to say something, but a loud noise overhead interrupted; their gaze turning skyward.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_I know it's been shamefully long since the last chapter was posted – please accept my apology :( I hope that this chapter makes up for it. Ye be warned, it's a cliffhanger. This fic seems to bring out people who are either wildly jealous of/have an irrational hatred for Mikaela Banes/Megan Fox. If you're jealous, take a deep breath and relax; you've likely missed the A/N at the beginning of Chapter 1. If you've got the hatred thing going on, then you're reading the wrong story.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

A helicopter, undoubtedly a Decepticon in its alt-mode, descended into the mountain and disappeared from view, hidden by the abundant pine trees. Lennox stared after it for a moment, his mind already running through the tactical options that he and his Second Lieutenant had discussed earlier that evening. He turned back to the young woman sitting next to him; she looked apprehensive.

Will stood and marched over to the command vehicle, and all of the NEST soldiers gathered around. "Alright team – let's get into position; we're heading up to the Decepticon base in five minutes. Be ready. Go!"

The camp was instantly packed up, as there were only a few things that had been set up in their short stay at the base of the mountain. The men hustled to get the rest of their combat gear on, make sure that each had his weapon, and then get into whatever vehicle they were assigned to. It was nearly completely dark – the last of the twilight was visible in the western part of the sky – but the night-vision goggles allowed them to see well in the moonless night.

Will made his way over to Mikaela, who was standing near Jolt and pulling a tuque over her head. "Have you got all of your stuff?"

"Yes, it's all in this bag."

"Good. I'm also going to give you some supplies in case you need them; food, water, a flare gun, communications gear, including a short-hand radio… Make sure that you keep this earpiece on at all times because it's the only way that you'll be able to keep in contact with us. Maybe I should give you a gun… No, you'll be ok with Jolt, just _stay with him_," he said firmly.

"I will. He said that he'll protect me."

"Alright. And Springer will be with you both, so you'll be fine."

"Springer?" she glanced over at the enormous Autobot; its alt-mode was an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. "Isn't he a little big for a guardian? I'm sure he's got a more important assignment to do."

"He will, but for now he's staying here with you and Jolt."

"Wait… What? You're leaving me here?"

"Yes. It's too dangerous for you to be in the middle of an outpost raid."

"I've come all this way to be on this mission and now I can't be a part of it?"

"You're still a part of the mission, but I won't risk your safety for it either."

"How could it be safer for me to stay here alone in the forest?"

"You won't be alone; Jolt and Springer are going to be here."

"But-"

Will leaned his tall frame a little closer, his eyes focusing on hers. "You're my responsibility, and I promised that I'd get you back home safely, so that's what I'm going to do." He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but then thought that it might be inappropriate, and let it hover in the air. "Ok?"

She let out a frustrated breath. "Ok, fine!"

He turned and started to walk away. It really was for her own good; if Mikaela were down here he wouldn't have to worry about something happening to her.

"Be careful!"

Will glanced back at her and smiled. "Always."

* * *

It was even darker and quieter after the team had left for the assault – if that was even possible. There must have been some clouds, since she couldn't even see the stars, and the only sound that could be heard was that of the wind blowing through the forest. This was bear country, and most likely wolf country too. Mikaela couldn't stop thinking about all the awful things that might come out of the woods. Why was it that at times like these, one always remembered every scary movie ever seen? A branch snapped and she gasped audibly.

"Sorry," Springer's voice came from high above. "I forgot that humans don't see that well in the dark. That must make you fearful."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'fearful' – maybe a little nervous…" she replied.

"It's not the dark she's nervous about," Jolt added. "It's just you, Springer!"

"I'll give you something to be fearful about, you little…" he shook a mammoth fist at the smaller Autobot, then glanced down at the young woman. "Uh, just fun and games, Ms. Banes…"

Another cold breeze blew past and she huddled into her coat a little more. This was going to be a long night. There was no telling how long it would take for the NEST team to complete their mission.

"Would you like to sleep in the Chevy?" Jolt asked. "It's no big deal for me to be in my alt-mode."

"That would be nice – thanks."

"If anything happens I'll need to wake you up right away, but otherwise, you'll be fine. Springer and I will stand guard."

She crawled into the backseat, using her stuffed backpack as a makeshift pillow. The car's interior lights went out and only a few blue ones on the dashboard remained lit. Mikaela shifted around vigourously for several moments until finally getting comfortable, and then lay there thinking. She couldn't believe that Will had left her behind. It wasn't like this was all new to her – well, it was in some respects – but they were far more prepared to deal with the Deceptions this time, as it was an authorized mission. If this didn't prove that he thought of her as some kid, then nothing else would be able to show it so succinctly.

* * *

The NEST team swiftly made their way through the forest and over the uneven logging roads. Dune Runner was at the front of the convoy and took a primary scouting position once he reached the Decepticon structure. The rest of the team stopped further back so that the humans could go in on foot, and the Autobots could transform.

"Ok, keep this as quiet as possible," Lennox spoke softly into his earpiece. "As long as we've got the element of surprise, we've got the upper hand. Let's keep a scout here. Everyone else, surround the building."

"This place isn't as big as I expected," Second Lieutenant Hawes whispered. "How much is estimated to be underground?"

"Maybe half, but the Autobots aren't sure."

"Major, I'll stay here for scouting," Breakaway told him. His fighter jet alt-mode gave him a great deal of mobility.

"Alright, let's move."

The alien structure was dark and spiny in appearance, but also suspiciously quiet. Lennox was expecting a little more security than this; but then again, they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Gears plugged in the Decepticon code – which they had acquired in the not too distant past – at the main door of the facility and with a hiss it slid open.

"This is too easy," Ratchet murmured as they cautiously advanced inside.

Will was trying to look in every direction at once, his gun ready in case they should run into a patrolling 'Con. "It is… something doesn't feel right."

The Autobot medic signaled for the team to halt. Everyone listened intently for a moment. There seemed to be a far-off rumbling sound coming from deep in the building. They continued onward; finding the main power station was essential, since an explosion there would start a chain reaction that would bring down the entire station. Once that was set into motion, all Lennox and his team had to do was get out.

* * *

Mikaela woke out of a strange dream to voices conversing in Cybertronian. Even though Jolt and Springer were talking in their alien language, all the inflections of stress were there. She sat up and looked around from her position in the backseat of the car – nothing had changed, it was still dark and the team wasn't back yet.

"Mikaela, you're awake," Jolt greeted her. He sounded almost relieved.

"Yeah. How are you guys doing?"

"We're fine…"

That was way less than reassuring. "What's going on?"

"Well, not to alarm you, but we think we detected something a moment ago."

"Something like a bear or something like a Decepticon?"

"Uh, the second one."

Mikaela got out of the car and he transformed back into his much taller form. The two Autobots stood with their backs opposite each other as they surveyed the area, and she stood between them, silently hoping that neither would take a step back and crush her.

"Maybe it was a bear," Jolt said after a moment. "I've never seen one."

"Those creatures are large for human standards, and they are reportedly quite loud," Springer added. "Not something for us to be worried about though."

"Do bears have glowing eyes?"

"Well, if you shine a light into an animal's eyes, they have a freaky white glow…" she explained, "…so, yeah."

"What about _red_ glowing eyes?"

* * *

The team continued down a large corridor that seemed to slope down into the heart of the mountain. They had yet to see a single Decepticon anywhere – it was ominous, but they couldn't stop to go looking for them either.

"Just ahead should be the main generator," Gears stated. "According to some of the design plans that 'Cons commonly use, that's the way this place should be laid out. This tunnel should open up into a cavernous room."

Lennox glanced back at the massive armoured infantry carrier that took up most of the space. At least Scattorshot would be able to provide good cover-fire and protection, even if he did make the space feel a little claustrophobic. With that in mind he felt a bit better about his decision not to allow Mikaela to accompany them inside this base.

The tunnel opened up into a cavernous room with the most bizarre generator that the people had ever seen; a giant bulb of twisted metal enveloping a glowing core. It was humming loudly and the vibration could be felt through the floor.

"It's a shame that it's got to go," Dune Runner commented. "It's like a piece of Cybertron right here."

"Yes, it reminds me of our homeworld too," Ratchet offered. He nodded to the others to set the charges.

Will felt puny in such a large space. The scale of everything was so enormous, like he and his men had shrunk. They spread out and surveyed the power station just to make sure that there were no smaller Decepticons hiding in the corners.

"Actually," Gears started, "this seems like an unusually large generator for a communications base. We haven't even mapped out this entire base yet, and it also seems almost too large."

"Do you think it's going to be a main staging area for Decepticons?" Will asked.

"It's possible, especially given the kind of power that's here, and there are probably at least two other energy sub-stations somewhere in here."

Petr Andronov, the Russian scientist who had accompanied them, spoke up from the other side of the room. "This is odd, this piece of wall here. It juts out from the rest of the wall."

"Is it a hidden door?" Lennox called back.

"I'm not sure… Whirl, would you give it a try?"

The Autobot made a show of stretching out his hands before grasping the metallic frame, but suddenly let go. "Wait – something's not right!"

Everyone stared in disbelief as the wall detached and changed its form into one that was decidedly Deception.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_I hope that this long chapter makes up in some way for my negligence in posting :( I really appreciate all your reviews you awesome readers – thanks for the encouragement!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"No – bears definitely _do not_ have glowing red eyes!" Mikaela's voice was edged with panic.

"Didn't think so," Jolt replied.

Springer rotated a giant cannon out of his arm only a few seconds before Decepticon beast launched itself out of the darkness and towards the small group. With a combination of ducking and shooting, he managed to avoid getting pummeled and prepared for another assault.

"This guy is huge!" the smaller Autobot exclaimed. "I don't recognize him."

"It's Beastbox, which means we're in trouble."

"Why?" Mikaela and Jolt asked in unison.

"Because Beastbox is an animal; like one of your bears, but bigger, tougher, and rabid."

"Oh… crap…" the young woman muttered.

"Jolt, watch my flank and keep an eye on the girl. He's circling us, looking for a weak spot. Let me take him on though; this thing is enraged when it attacks."

Mikaela couldn't imagine how big this 'Con was – Springer was already enormous and transformed into an aircraft. Just keeping herself from getting crushed underfoot was enough to worry about, nevermind a crazed metallic alien. Suddenly the ground rumbled like there was an earthquake happening; the beast charged and caught the larger Autobot into a strong hold that sent both rolling far off. By the light of the gunfire, she could see the two forms battling it out, snapping trees in half like mere twigs.

* * *

Lennox stared up at the Deception that had just appeared in the power core of the Decepticon base. One moment he was looking at a solid wall, and in the next moment that same wall had transformed into a nasty-looking 'Con. It didn't even acknowledge the humans of the NEST team – it spoke in Cybertronian to the Autobots and they responded in their native language.

In his earpiece came a whispered voice, his Second Lieutenant Raymond Hawes. "Should we retreat? The Autobots seem in be in charge."

"No, we're not doing anything they let us know what's going on. Stay in your defensive positions and be ready to move fast."

"Yes sir."

As the alien conversation went on, Will took the opportunity to study their adversary. He was fairly tall, nearly the height of Optimus Prime, but had an almost box-like appearance. It was unlikely that it was a guard, because the entire base would have been alerted if it were; this 'Con meant business. For something like the fifth time that night, he silently praised himself for making Mikaela stay behind. Although they outnumbered the Deception four to one, the Autobots seemed uncharacteristically anxious. Will saw them tense and knew that in the next few seconds that something would happen.

The Decepticon reached out with a huge arm and all of the explosive charges that the team had clamped onto the generator detached and flew into his hand. As he raised the other arm it transformed into a gun, though for the humans it looked more like a missile launcher.

"Retreat! Everybody out! MOVE!" Lennox hollered into his earpiece.

The men bolted for the tunnel that would take them back to the surface; there was no way that any of them would stand a chance in there, the Autobots would have to handle this one. Gunfire reverberated through the enclosed space; Lennox could feel it to his core. He and the men were sprinting as fast as they could with all of their gear, but it was a long way to go to the outside, and not everyone could fit into the Humvees.

"Major!" someone called out.

He glanced back into the glare of headlights and a military buggy pulled up alongside them. "Some of you get in, we have to get out of here," Dune Runner instructed them.

"Why are we running?" Hawes asked, gasping for breath. "There are more of us and only one of him."

"That Decepticon back there, that's Shockwave. Not only is he ruthless and calculating, he's planned this whole thing."

"What do you mean?"

"He knew we were coming, it's what you humans call a 'set-up'."

Lennox grimaced. "Alright, let's go. We'll re-evaluate outside."

Dune Runner accelerated past carrying more men than should have safely been on. Another vehicle screeched to a stop in front of him. Ratchet popped open the doors of his medical truck and more men clambered inside.

"Where's everyone else?" Will asked the Autobot.

"On their way. They're trying to hold him off, but he's got a couple other 'Con's in there now."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Cloaked. The generator not only powers the base and the communications equipment, but also a cloaking device."

He blinked dully, barely able to wrap his mind around the new information.

"Gears says he's coming now, he'll take the rest of the men."

No sooner did Ratchet leave than did a dark SUV lurch to a halt. Lennox quickly got inside with the remainder of his team and they sped to the exit.

Parked in a semi-circle, the vehicles sat without their lights on. The Autobots discussed the options for completing the mission, now that everything had changed. Another voice could be heard through the speakers in Gears; it was Breakaway. He had remained outside the base to serve as a scout; his fighter jet alt-mode would allow him to take off if the need arose.

"We've got a problem…" he said quietly. "Don't make any sudden movements. You're surrounded."

* * *

Mikaela ran frantically for the edge of the clearing that the NEST team had used as a temporary camp earlier that evening. The air she inhaled was cold, and the backpack that was strapped across her shoulders was heavy, but fear made her forget all of that. She'd found a pair of night-vision goggles that Will had put into her bag before leaving on the mission, and was now wearing them. Her surroundings became a freakish green and black through the lenses, with white bursts of light punctuating the scene.

Autobot Jolt had told her to get clear of the fighting – as terrifying as it was to be in the middle of an alien death match, the concept of huddling by the edge of the darkest forest in existence was no more reassuring.

Surely this warranted making a call to Will and his team! They were probably in the middle of their mission, but this was something they had to know about… Mikaela stared at the battling Cybertronians – two on one, they could probably handle it. Besides, Jolt hadn't told her to call for backup.

Pulling the goggles up to where her tuque met her forehead, she continued to watch the fight in normal vision, despite the darkness. Jolt was now involved – it was the first time that she had seen him in action – his electric blue whips glowed and crackled as they wrapped around Beastbox, sending out powerful charges. Springer grappled with it, pounding his fists into the Decepticon and shooting at it when there was some distance between them.

Suddenly she felt a stronger than usual gust of wind, and sensed a presence overhead. Mikaela slipped the goggles back on and gazed skyward. There didn't seem to be anything in sight, but she could have sworn that there had been something there. Maybe she was just being paranoid…

After a particularly loud explosion which radiated shockwaves she could feel even at a distance, Beastbox seemed to give up and limp off into the forest as quickly as he'd come. The Autobots both remained in a defensive stance for a couple minutes until them deemed it safe.

"Mikaela! Where are you?" Jolt called out.

"Over here!" she got up and jogged back over to the two Autobots. "Are you okay? That was some brawl!"

"We're alright," Springer replied. "No major damage was sustained, just some scratches."

"Is that thing gone?"

"Well, for now anyways. He's sustained enough damages to make him re-think his position. But there's a high chance that he could return."

"How did they find us? How did they know we were here?"

"Beastbox could just be a guard that they have patrolling the area around the base, watching for any intruders."

"Kind of like one of your watchdogs," Jolt clarified.

"Should we tell Lennox and the other Autobots?"

"I think so. If that beast goes back to the base, they'll have an unpleasant encounter," Springer commented.

* * *

"Surrounded?" Lennox repeated. "Where are you Breakaway?"

"In the forest – if I move a circuit, they'll spot me."

"How many?"

"I can't be certain, but it looks like five."

"That's only one more than us," Hawes remarked. "With Breakaway we should be able to take them."

Will glanced over at his second lieutenant and nodded. "Gears, what do you think?"

The Autobot's voice also came through the SUV speakers. "I'm not calculating any other options."

"Alright – let the 'Cons make the first move, then we'll hit them hard."

"They're moving in," Breakaway warned.

Headlights flashed on and five heavy-construction vehicles rolled out of the woods. Simultaneously they halted with their beams illuminating the NEST team.

A Russian accent came over the Will's communications earpiece; Petr Andronov, their scientist, spoke hesitantly. "Are you sure those are Decepticons? They could be working in a mine nearby…"

His words trailed off into silence as the vehicles began to make a nightmarish transformation. The humans baled out of their own vehicles, which reverted out of their alt-modes to counter the new threat. As the first shots rang out, Lennox and his men scrambled for cover from the energy bolts. The Constructicons were large, as well as being heavily-armed and armoured; what had been two excavators, a dump truck, a bulldozer, and a front end loader, had become a very effective fighting force.

Out of the tunnel leading into the Decepticon base, Whirl came running at full tilt. Right behind him was Scattorshot, still in his alt-mode. The next to launch onto the scene were three massive tanks, one of them being distinctly Cybertronian – likely Shockwave. This situation had officially escalated out of control.

"Major! We're receiving an incoming transmission from the team at the base of the mountain; it's on the other frequency."

Will received the call immediately. "Mikaela? Are you alright?"

"Well, we are now. We're hearing gunfire and explosions up there – what's going on?"

We've been ambushed. It's not going well."

"We were also ambushed, by some monstrous thing. Springer was able to fight it off, but it's still out there somewhere. What about the base?"

"It's still standing; we had to retreat."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Right now just sit tight; I'll let you know how things go in the next few minutes."

* * *

The next few minutes seemed like forever to Mikaela. She and the two Autobots could only stand in the dark and listen to the battle raging higher up on the side of the mountain. At first she worried that someone in the area would see or hear something, but quickly realized that there was no one in the area. Springer suddenly tilted his head like he was on a Bluetooth receiver.

"That was Gears," he informed them. "They need my help up there. You two stay here."

"And what are we supposed to do?" Jolt asked.

"Wait. The team is going to split up and fully retreat. One group will return here, and the other will be taking the back road off the mountain and circle around. Jolt, take care of Ms. Banes."

Transforming into his Osprey alt-mode, he roared off and left the rookie Autobot and young woman staring after him.

"And then there were two…" she muttered.

"Well that's just great!" Jolt threw his hands up in the air; a human mannerism he'd probably picked up. "What if Beastbox comes back?"

"Don't even say that."

As much as the thought of that monster returning scared her, Mikaela was even more concerned about Will being in the middle of that battle. Being ambushed and cornered by aliens that were a hundred times bigger than they were… What if he got injured? What if he got killed? She tried to stop thinking about it, but her imagination kept running through all kinds of horrible outcomes.

A large series of explosions rocked the valley and a couple moments later the shockwaves could be felt by Mikaela and Jolt. They stared at the spot that billowed smoke into the night; she could feel her eyes getting wet.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" a voice abruptly spoke over her earpiece.

"Will? Are you ok? There was this huge explosion…"

"I'm fine. It was a divergence by Springer so that the team could get out of the area. We're headed down to you now; be ready to roll out."

It only took several minutes and then the NEST team was speeding down the logging trails. Along with a couple military Humvees, overhead was Whirl in helicopter form, and on the ground Ratchet and Scattorshot. The heavily-armoured truck pulled over and the door opened up.

"Mikaela! Get in! Hurry!" Will yelled.

She started running for the truck and noticed out of the corner of her eye the reason why he was telling her to hurry – a tank and a giant dump truck were barreling towards them. Leaping inside, she basically landed in his open arms, then the door rapidly shut closed again. Mikaela was barely seated before the vehicle accelerated, and she clung to a hand strap. There were several other soldiers inside the truck, all of them looking tense and clutching their weapons.

"Aren't you glad you stayed behind?" Will asked her, with a bit of a grin on his face.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I know there wasn't a lot of romance in this chapter, but there was a lot of action that had to happen; and lots Autobots and Decepticons too! While the review button doesn't transform, it still likes being clicked!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_It's been so long since I wrote the last chapter that I forgot what happened *rolls eyes* - so if you're feeling the same way you might want to take another look at Chapter 9 before proceeding. I hope that there's enough romance to tide everyone over – I promise the next chapter will have more!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The chase continued for a couple kilometers. Inside of the armoured truck better known as Scattorshot, the atmosphere was tense and all the occupants sat silently. Not only were they trying to get out of range of a Deception in tank-mode and another in the form of a large dump truck, but the logging road was extremely rough, making for a bone-jarring ride.

"Major Lennox, we've got to change tactics," the Autobot's voice came through the cabin. "The tank has got treads and the truck has much larger tires – they're gaining on us."

"Do you have a suggestion?" Will asked.

"I need to transform and engage them. I've got Jolt, Ratchet, and Whirl, so that makes me the main firepower of this group."

"Everyone else took the back road northeast of the base?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, let's do it. My team will have to continue on foot. Keep in contact with us; the quantum-crypto gear is still operational. If the 'Cons put out an EMP it'll be up to you guys to find us, because we'll be stumbling around in the dark."

"Will do, Major. Watch the drop. Stay safe team!" Scattorshot replied. Hitting the brakes, the entire truck spun around and the doors flew open. Everyone piled out and ran behind the Autobot while it transformed.

"Keep the person next to you in sight at all times. Don't lag behind. The guys in the Humvee are going down to the end of the road, so we're going to follow their GPS signal. Let's move!"

Lennox's half of the NEST team started jogging down the road. Somewhere on the other side of the mountain, Second Lieutenant Hawes and the rest of the men were probably going through the same thing. Will didn't like having to split the team this way, but it would make the Decepticons chase two targets instead of one. It would also give the team time to consider how exactly they would get this mission accomplished without everyone getting killed. Behind them somewhere, the Autobots were having an all-out battle with the Decepticons. Explosions, thundering, and alien noises echoed through the woods, but Will couldn't waste time or energy in looking back.

* * *

Running in line with the men, Mikaela fought to keep up with them. The ground was uneven, and despite the night-vision goggles, she kept tripping. She was also lugging her backpack, which was beginning to take its toll on her pace. Complaining or slowing down didn't cross her mind – the soldiers were also loaded down with their weapons, body armour, and other gear. After about ten minutes, they had caught up to the Humvee that had gone ahead of them. Everyone stood about panting for breath, the cold northern air was sharp on the lungs.

"Hopefully our guys are doing alright with those 'Cons," Lennox commented. "Let's get Hawes on the line."

One of the men was able to get a response from the second half of the team within moments. "Lennox, they're still dealing with the Decepticons. They'll be able to give a report as soon as they're able to shake them."

"Okay, we'll have to wait. Any sign of the Autobots?"

"We've got Energon readings; I think that someone's approaching."

Mikaela couldn't sense the tell-tale vibrations made when one of the towering beings was walking. She listened intently, but the wind blowing through the trees made it too difficult to distinguish any other sounds. Suddenly a shiver ran down her spine.

Lennox noticed her moving towards him. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, but something's not right."

"What do you mean?"

"I feel like we're being watched… I felt it when the Autobots were fighting Beastbox. I can't be sure though, and I don't want to worry everyone over what could be nothing."

He gave her a serious look, then spoke to the troops. "Be on your guard, guys. I've got a good reason to believe that we're in for something."

There was an instant chorus of clicks as the safety was taken off of the many guns. The NEST soldiers spread out and formed a tight perimeter around the vehicle, all eyes scanning for movement.

"I might just be paranoid," Mikaela insisted.

"That would be a first," Will replied. "If you say there's something there, then you're probably right."

"But how do you know?"

"You've got good instincts."

"Oh… thanks." She was smiling a little, but her expression rapidly turned to one of alarm. For the second time that night she felt like something had just flown right over her head and she flinched.

Will saw her move and also felt the unusually stiff breeze. His reflexes kicked in a half-second later – he pulled the young woman down low and crouched over her with his gun drawn. "Everybody down!" he hollered.

Almost as soon as he spoke a large object flew directly over the team, making an ear-splitting screech made the humans clutch at their heads. An enormous Decepticon bird flashed red, glowing eyes, and then took a dive at them. The barrels of the machine guns flared fire into the night, hitting the creature with rounds of bullets.

Will didn't dare trying making any runs for cover – he and his men would make easy targets for the airbourne 'Con if they turned their backs. He glanced down at Mikaela; she looked nervous but alert in case they needed to move fast. With his night-vision eye-wear, he could make out the shape of what looked to be a monstrous condor, a bird of prey. It would have been nice to have an Autobot around to identify it, but at least he would be able to describe their attacker.

Almost as unexpected as it had arrived, the Decepticon shot at the soldiers a few times, and then vanished. Everyone stood hesitantly and examined the sky before someone said that the scanner readings could no longer detect it.

"Lennox, come in."

Will tapped his earpiece. "Lennox here. What's up, Hawes?"

"We're coming down a mountain trail right now; it's pretty narrow, but the Decepticons are still coming after us. Fortunately, they've been forced to slow down, so we've got a bit of time to strategize. There's a junction with a road that goes around the mountain and it eventually leads back to the main road, the gravel one, as well as connecting with the logging road you're on now. Should we meet halfway?"

"Sounds like a plan. We'll reconvene at the intersection that goes to the gravel road. We've also got 'Cons on our tail – we just had a fly-by. They're keeping tabs on us, so make sure that you don't get boxed in. I think you've got all the maps with your half of the team."

"I'll send the coordinates. I'm not sure about our E.T.A.; it depends on what we run into."

"Same here. If you get there first, try to stay out of sight."

"Alright Lennox, we'll be waiting for you."

The major conveyed the latest plan to the rest of the men, and they started walking. The thundering of clashing Cybertronians seemed to be farther in the distance now. They could only hope that the Autobots were able to defeat the enemy.

* * *

Mikaela trudged along, starting to feel fatigued. This excursion was definitely turning out to be more than she'd bargained for. It was hard to imagine the NEST soldiers going through this sort of thing all the time, yet Will seemed calm in the middle of it all. The men really looked to him and trusted his judgment.

"How're you doing?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked up into Will's face that was obscured by all the protective gear. "I'm alright."

"How about you ride in the Humvee for awhile? There's some room inside."

"It's okay, I'm fine."

"Mikaela, you're exhausted. You can trade places when you feel rested, but for now you need to sit down."

She gave him a tired smile. "Alright. Thanks."

Waving down the Humvee that was slowly rolling alongside the walking troops, he held out his hand and helped her inside the vehicle. The men inside each said a short greeting as she got settled.

"How is it that you're here, again?" one asked.

"I'm not sure anymore…" she sighed.

Mikaela dozed off soon afterwards, and came back to the present when the military truck had stopped to let one of the men trade with another. She left her bag there and also exited – someone else could probably do for a rest inside. The air outside was unexpectedly cold, colder than she'd remembered it being only a short while ago. Peering carefully through the night vision headset she was wearing, she realized that something seemed a little different. Slipping them up off her eyes, it only took her a moment to realize that it was snowing. Mikaela was shocked to see the white flakes, and her breath came out in a mist. It hadn't been snowing for too long; the Russian forest looked as though someone had lightly dusted it with icing sugar.

"Sir, we've got Energon readings coming on strong," one of the soldiers informed his superior.

Will sighed tiredly, "This better be one of our guys. Stand by just in case."

A rhythmic pounding could be felt as the Cybertronian got closer – it sounded like an Autobot jogging towards the group. Mikaela turned to catch a glimpse of whoever it was coming around the bend. She had been thinking about Jolt, the young Autobot against the ruthless 'Cons. When a large, ape-like creature rounded the corner instead, Mikaela gasped, instantly recognizing the hideous Beastbox.

"It's a Decepticon!" she screamed.

"Take cover by the trees!" Lennox ordered the troops. "Give the Humvee some protection – you guys keep driving! Everybody move! GO!"

In the middle of it all, Will's eyes quickly located Mikaela dashing off the road. Only one thought went through his mind when he saw her: his promise to get her home safely. Running towards her as Beastbox opened fire on the NEST team, he threw his arms around her and jumped down an embankment, sliding on his back across the ground that now had a slick coating from the snow. When they finally stopped moving downhill, Will glanced over to see that a few other men had slid down with them.

"Are you okay?" he breathed into her ear.

"Yeah I think so." She was basically lying on his chest, and carefully moved off.

"We're too far down for a visual, so let's move up and get this thing in our sights. When everyone is in position, I'll tell you to fire." Will also radioed the men hiding in other spots and got everyone coordinated. "Mikaela, stay right with me and stay low."

She nodded in reply and followed him as they climbed up to the road. Beastbox was tearing up trees and randomly shooting into the forest, likely having a difficult time trying to find the humans. Will selected a larger tree and crouched behind it with her, and motioned to a soldier hiding nearby to stay put. Unexpectedly, the clamor stopped and was replaced by a low rumble, like the 'Con was growling softly.

Will got down low and peered around the side of the tree. "It's walking over here," he murmured. "Don't make a sound."

The crunch of a tree being splintered in half made Mikaela jump; she covered her mouth to prevent a scream from involuntarily escaping her lips. Another crunch and pine needles streamed past – it was getting closer. Did it know they were there? Or was Beastbox trying to flush them out like pheasants at a bird hunt? Lennox was signaling to the other soldiers to stand his ground, but the man looked more than ready to jump out and start shooting. She noticed Will's gloved hand tighten around his own rifle.

The tension was almost unbearable – the Decepticon was almost right on top of them. With another step or two, they would be staring at its feet. Up above, Beastbox grasped the midsection of the tree that the soldier was hiding behind, and slowly pulled it back so that the wood splintered with loud cracks. The soldier let out a terrified cry and leaped out, shooting desperately at the metallic alien. In response, it roared and tore the rest of the tree apart and lunged for the man.

Mikaela never saw what happened to him. She heard the scream, but then Will had clutched her arm and dragged her back down the slope deeper into the forest. Behind her was all chaos and explosions from weapons, but she couldn't look back. They were running, stumbling, falling, sliding down. The tree trunks and branches flew past like a horrible rollercoaster ride, scratching her face. The black and green view through the goggles only intensified their escape. Finally they hit a fairly horizontal surface. She lay on the ground, seeing stars that weren't in the sky. Heavy breathing alerted her to Will's presence and when her head stopped spinning, she looked over to see him sitting next to her.

"You alright?" he panted.

"Yeah… You?"

"Uh huh." Will pulled a device from his pocket and examined it. "Uh oh."

"What?"

"It's not working." He tried his communications earpiece and got no response. "This isn't good."

"Did the equipment get damaged by the fall?"

"Worse. I think we got hit with an EMP – I was expecting something like this to happen. I'm going to work on getting the connection back, but until then we've got the handheld radio." He flicked it on and got static, which persisted as he tried to establish contact. "We might be out of range."

"Where are we anyways?" she asked, looking around at the dense forest.

"Right now – we're lost."

* * *

**_A/N: _**Wasn't Transformers 3 awesome! I loved it! I didn't even mind that Mikaela was in it (is that bad?) because I didn't want to see anything between Lennox and the new girl. And Will Lennox… *swoons* What did you think of the movie?


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author**__**'**__**s **__**Note:**_ Guess who finally sat down and got this chapter written? *all sorts of sarcasm* As promised, is chapter is pure Mikaela & Lennox – enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Lost in the middle of a Siberian forest. People usually didn't survive this sort of thing, Mikaela thought. At least they had managed to lose the Decepticon.

Will pulled out a compass and checked it with his red-light flashlight. "Okay, since we came down the hill this way, we need to head east," he said, pointing. "Eventually we should run into the team, but we might have to climb up to the road; I can't remember the elevation charts for this area."

Mikaela nodded in response and they began walking.

The snow that had started falling earlier was continuing to fall, and within a relatively short period of time it was reflecting enough light for them to remove the night-vision headgear. The walking wasn't as bad as she had expected; the taiga had barely any undergrowth, so it was just tree trunks and branches.

"I've rarely even seen snow," she said after a while.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've lived in California for most of my life. When I was little I lived in the Midwest, but I don't remember it much. What about you?"

"I grew up on the East Coast in a military family," he explained. "My dad was in the air force, and my mom was a hair stylist; they're both retired now. I've also got a younger brother and sister. I haven't seen any of them in a while. When I got into the Special Ops, I was always overseas, and I still am with NEST."

"You must miss them a lot."

"Yeah, I do… Tell me about your family."

Mikaela bit her lip. "There really isn't much to tell."

"Aw, come on!"

She let out a heavy sigh that was visible in the cold air. "It's always been just my dad and I; my mom died when I was six. My dad is a mechanic, but he also stole cars and it landed him in prison when I was in middle school. I had to live with my aunt and uncle when I was in high school."

"Whoa… that's rough. What about now?"

"He's out of prison. He got released a year and a half ago – it was part of a deal with the government over the whole Autobot and Decepticon thing. I also had a criminal record because I wouldn't turn my dad in, but that was erased as well. So, this past year and a half we've been trying to get our lives right."

"Sorry for making you talk about it."

"No, it's alright. I'm finally starting to deal with everything now; all through middle school and high school I had that hanging over my head. Anyways, you took it better than Sam did when he found out."

"He didn't break up with you because of that, did he?"

She chuckled. "No, but he got all self-righteous on me. He got over it quickly enough, but I couldn't forget the look of disdain he gave me."

Will couldn't think of an adequate response for what she'd shared with him. He glanced over at her, feeling even more admiration for her and the way she stood up for her father. Before she could catch him looking at her, he averted his gaze downwards at the snow. That's when he noticed the paw prints.

He strained to remember the information in the mission details; it had mentioned bear attacks and how to avoid them. Don't look them in the eyes. Remain calm. Play dead. Really? Yes, it specifically listed that method.

Mikaela's voice interrupted his information recall. "Hey Will, those look like animal tracks over there."

They went over and peered at the large impressions in the ever-thickening layer of snow.

"These belong to a bear," Will announced.

"Seriously? Do you think it's nearby?"

"Well, these look pretty fresh; the snow hasn't covered them much, so yes."

"I know everyone said this is bear country, but I was really hoping that we wouldn't run into one."

"Yeah, Deceptions are way less scary," he joked. "Come on, we should keep moving." Will reached out and took her hand. He was half-expecting her to decline the gesture, that it would be awkward or inappropriate, but instead she put her gloved hand into his own and smiled a little.

"What was your fiancé like?"

The question surprised him a little, but they had talked a bit on that subject before. "Sarah. She's beautiful and kind and responsible. When we were dating she realized what was involved with me being in the military. We wanted to get married and start a family. But then everything changed with the Autobots. I felt, and still feel, that it's my responsibility to be a part of this. The first Decepticon attack was on our base in Qatar, and I was one of the few survivors; I owe it to everyone who lost their lives that day. Anyways, when NEST was set up, I was placed in command. And Sarah just didn't want to wait anymore. She said that she couldn't take on that level of commitment. Last I heard, she started a life with someone else and has a kid already."

"If only she could have seen the things you do and the risks you take."

"Yeah, but maybe she's happier this way." Movement to the left caught Will's eye. "Hold up a moment," he whispered. Fishing around in one of the many pockets of his uniform he found a thermal infrared gauge and turned it on. It worked because it hadn't been on when the EMP happened.

"Is it picking up anything?" Mikaela asked.

"Yes. Darn it! It's a bear. Just beyond those trees. Maybe we can walk around it without it noticing us."

"How big is it?"

"It's a little hard to tell, but about half the size of Jolt in his alt-mode."

"Crap!"

They started making a wide arc to get around the creature, but it began approaching them. Suddenly the bear was standing directly across from them, staring at the two humans.

"Stay behind me and don't make any sudden movements," Will murmured. Then he slowly moved his arms up and down like he was directing an airplane on the tarmac, and spoke in a calm manner.

The bear wasn't flinching – in fact it came closer.

"Mikaela, back up and if I tell you to run, do it."

"I thought you weren't supposed to run from wild animals."

"We might have to make an exception."

The upper lip of the bear curled back and it growled menacingly. Lennox took the safety off of his gun. He knew that it might take several shots to bring it down, and if it charged the beast would probably reach them before it was down. In any case, he could not afford to waste ammunition at a time like this. Letting out a roar, the bear nearly deafened the two humans, and Will decided that enough was enough. He squeezed the trigger and fired up into the trees. When animal didn't take off right away, he fired a few shots into the ground in front of it; then it finally took the hint and loped off.

Will breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Let's keep moving." He was still wondering about Mikaela's ex-boyfriend, and after walking a distance in silence, he asked.

Mikaela shrugged. "Sam was one of those kids in school that you always saw but never really talked to; we traveled in different circles, as the saying goes. He was really awkward," she laughed lightly. "Actually I don't think he'll ever fully grow out of that. Anyways, one day he drove me home in his 'new' car, and the next day we discovered that it was an alien – you basically you the story from there. When we graduated, we both wanted different things. I needed to get some stability and be with my dad for a while. And Sam was destined for college."

"I guess that's understandable."

"Yeah… yet it was more than that. It seemed like he wasn't that serious about anything. I mean, the Autobots brought us together, and he kept Bumblebee in his parents' garage. Sometimes I just felt like I was taken for granted." She shrugged, "Whatever. I hope that he goes off and has a great time in college."

It seemed impossible that anyone could take Mikaela for granted – she was so much more than a pretty face. Will opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment a burst of static came over his radio.

"Hm, that's strange," he murmured, twisting the dials. "We're still out of range of any clear signals, so what caused the static?"

"Decepticons?" Mikaela asked tentatively, as though they would suddenly appear out of the forest.

"I wouldn't doubt it. In fact they could be-"

A metallic screech pierced the still air. Will and Mikaela clutched their ears and winced at the sound. Swooping overhead was a very familiar Decepticon bird of prey, Buzzsaw. It was inexplicable how he had not only found them, but also managed to fly through the dense forest. In any case, he seemed to be having no trouble in doing so, and was out for blood. As soon as it passed over, Will took aim with his rifle and started firing; however, the majority of the shots hit wood. Buzzsaw opened fire with his own laser cannons, the energy bolts leaving burn marks.

Tossing with radio to Mikaela, he shouted instructions while waiting to get another shot. "Keep trying to reach the unit. There might be a chance that the Autobots will pick up the signal. And stay behind the trees!"

"Got it," she responded and spoke into the device. "Alpha One this is Lennox, radio-check, over." She paused three seconds. "Alpha One this is Lennox, over."

Buzzsaw came around for another pass. This was going to be close, Will thought, gritting his teeth and squeezing the trigger again. A few shots hit the Decepticon this time – the sparks of metal on metal confirmed it – but that wasn't slowing it down. The bird clutched sideways on a tree trunk, razor sharp talons drilling in, and let out a steady stream of energy bolts. The forest began to yield to the punishment; branches snapped and rained down on the people crouching beneath.

"Move! Stay behind me!" Lennox yelled as they made a run for fresh cover.

Taking his opportunity, Buzzsaw emitted another earsplitting screech that brought them both to their knees in pain. Diving down from his perch, he seized the humans, one in each talon, and started dragging them across the ground. Mikaela could feel the cold metal right next to the skin on her back – it was a miracle that the 'Con hadn't punctured her body. Their combined weight proved to be too heavy for Buzzsaw to lift and he dropped them both down a small decline in the forest floor, letting them slide to the bottom.

"Mikaela! Are you ok?" Will called out. He was too disoriented to know anything more than that he was lying somewhere on the snowy ground.

"I'm here!"

"Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so."

Another rush of air signaled that the Decepticon was right above them. A chilling, alien voice spoke English to them as Will stared up into its red eyes. "This is the end, pathetic human. Shockwave will eliminate your team and will enjoy sending the pieces back to Optimus Prime. We will hunt you all down, just as I have with you. Now I will deprive you of your precious oxygen."

Will reached for his gun lying a few feet away, but Buzzsaw screeched again and grabbed him. The threat of no oxygen became clear to Lennox when he realized just where he was – on the edge of a small stream. "Mikaela! RUN!"

The Decepticon tossed him into the stream, the icy cold water instantly seeped through his clothing. Will felt his body seizing up from the shock, but struggled nonetheless. Buzzsaw merely looked down at him and pushed his body under the surface with a clawed foot.

Mikaela struggled to her feet, dizzy and stumbling. The scene that greeted her eyes was completely nightmarish. They had fallen next to a stream and the 'Con was in the process of drowning Will in the shallow water. He was fighting violently, but the alien had him in a death grip. Then she saw his gun lying on the ground next to them. She didn't even have to think about it. Mikaela scrambled to the weapon and took the safety off.

Buzzsaw heard a small click and glanced over. Mikaela unloaded the gun directly into the Decepticon's face. Blinded, it reared back and thrashed its wings in an effort to hit her. The move left its chest wide open. Mikaela aimed and fired into its core, not stopping until the enormous bird had hit the ground and fluids were leaking out and staining the snow. Once assured that it was dead, she dropped the gun and ran into the stream where Lennox lay motionless.

"Will!" she screamed. Hoisting his upper body into a sitting position she used all her strength to drag him at least half out of the water and onto land. Mikaela checked his breathing – he wasn't and his eyes remained closed. "Do not die on me! Will!"

CPR. First aid that she'd taken in high school suddenly came back to her. She tilted his head back and pinched his nose shut before giving a full breath into his parted lips. Again. Then chest compressions. The vest he was wearing was making it difficult, but she couldn't waste time taking it off. Throwing the majority of her weight into each compression she counted out thirty then went back to giving him a couple more breaths. She was three into a second round of compressions when he started to cough and splutter. Quickly turning him onto his side, he coughed the water out of his lungs. He was going to live.

"What happened?" He asked when he could speak. "Where is the 'Con?"

"It's dead."

His head whipped around, his eyes searching for the alien and stopped when he spotted its smoking form lying on the ground. "You killed it?"

Mikaela nodded.

"You saved my life." He reached up and touched her face with his gloved hand. Tears were streaming down her face. He wanted to kiss her right then and there.

"You're soaking wet," she said with alarm, just realizing it for the first time.

He looked at her clothing. "You aren't that dry either."

They clambered up the bank, holding onto each other for support. Neither needed to say it, but they knew that they would freeze to death if they didn't get out of those wet clothes and into some warmer conditions. It didn't take long for that fact to become painfully clear. Will was shivering a lot, and Mikaela was beginning to as well; pulling him out of the water had gotten her wetter than she'd realized. They collapsed under a tree.

"W-we need t-to light a fire," Will said through chattering teeth.

"Won't that d-draw attention?"

He just looked in her eyes; one way or the other it would not end well for them if something didn't change. "We'll have t-to take that risk."

Using some of the branches on the ground and Will's survival kit fire starter, they soon had a decent blaze going. Mikaela sat beside it, clutching her knees for her chest.

"Hey, c-come here," Will waved her over. He wrapped an arm around her. "We m-might be able to st-stay warmer if we're c-close together."

She snuggled into his body as much as she could, her arms around his body as tightly as his were around hers. If they weren't fighting hypothermia in a snowy forest, she would've felt very comfortable. Instead they sat there listening to each other breath and feeling each other shiver.

A loud crunch in the nearby startled them.

"What now?" Will muttered. He let go of Mikaela and reached for his rifle, checking the clip with a grim expression on his face.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ As soon as you're finished writing a review (pretty please?) head on over to my profile page where I've got photos of Mikaela and Lennox up for both this story and _The__ Idea__ of__ Seeing__ You__ Here_. However, don't blame me for drooling all over your keyboard…


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author**__**'**__**s**__**Note:**_ Just in case you've forgotten what happened in the last chapter (though I don't blame you if you did…) here's a recap: NEST, Will and Mikaela are in Siberia on a mission. While in a forest they get attacked and Will & Mikaela get lost in the woods for a time. They also have a nasty encounter with a Decepticon that nearly kills Lennox and leaves them both soaking wet and freezing cold. Suddenly they hear something coming…

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"Don't be scared," he whispered to her, and got up on one knee. His aim was on the place where the source of the noise would emerge. This might be it – a fight to the end. He clenched his jaw and desperately tried to control his shivering.

Another crunch. Wait for it…

A blue Autobot face appeared from the trees, and it was only Will's professional skills that stopped him from shooting it full of holes. He relaxed the weapon slightly; it was only when he had made eye contact that he was convinced that it was their teammate, Jolt.

"Major Lennox! Mikaela!" the Autobot rookie exclaimed.

"Jolt! Oh thank goodness!" Mikaela would've hugged the Cybertronian if she could have.

"We picked up a lot of gunfire down here and I was sent to investigate because I'm small enough to get through the trees. The team is up this way. I can carry you both – I can't be in my alt-mode here."

"That w-would be great," Will murmured in response, teeth chattering.

"Major, your vocal processor sounds damaged," Jolt said, a little confused.

"N-not really."

"W-we're freezing t-to death," Mikaela told him pointedly.

Jolt scanned the humans. "Your core temperatures are lower than average. Is this serious?"

"Yes," Will and Mikaela said in unison.

"We must hurry then." The Autobot let them climb onto his arms, then gingerly clutched his fragile cargo as he moved swiftly through the woods.

It didn't take long until they had reached the rest of the team, camping by the side of the logging road. By this time the other half of the team that had retreated down another road had reunited with Lennox's half, and Second Lieutenant Raymond Hawes jogged over to them as Jolt set the humans down.

"Lennox! What happened?" He looked the officer up and down, then called out some orders. "The Major needs dry clothing immediately! Get him into a warm vehicle. The same goes for Ms. Banes."

While Hawes assisted Lennox, another soldier helped Mikaela to the Humvee where her bag and needed change of clothing was waiting. Someone turned up the heat a bit before closing the door and standing guard outside to ensure her privacy. Her fingers shook a great deal as she peeled all of the wet layers of fabric off her skin. There were holes in some of her clothing from that Decepticon – she shuddered even more just thinking about it.

* * *

"Hawes, what's our status?" Will asked the lieutenant once he had changed and was sipping a hot drink someone had prepared.

"Well, both halves of the team have rendezvoused at the designated location. We sustained a couple injuries on both sides, and one casualty."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Has he been…?"

"We've recovered his body."

Will nodded grimly. "Go on."

"Scans have detected that the Decepticons are slowly moving in this direction, and if they continue at their present rate of speed they'll reach us in less than thirty minutes."

"And the path to the main road?"

"It's clear; I had Dune Runner check it. But that still doesn't leave us a way to the 'Con's signal station, unless we go by air, and we'll be easy targets. Besides, we can't take the whole team on an air mission."

"No, but we could take some of the team," Lennox replied. An idea was rapidly developing in his mind.

"And leave the rest to deal with the Decepticons when they arrive? The odds are way too high."

"What if a squad runs an aerial mission, drops down to the base, and blows it up while everyone else goes straight for the main road."

Hawes' brow furrowed. "It might work… What about all of the remaining 'Cons? Neutralize them on the way?"

"Yeah. Once the base is gone they're either going to attack us full force or they'll attempt to escape, but by that point we'll have drawn them out, so all we'll have left to do is take them out."

"Okay, then we should go with this. Now the important question: Who's going on the aerial mission? Springer can serve as transport with his Osprey mode, and he has the firepower to hold off any 'Cons we encounter. What about the other Autobots?"

"Most of them are too heavy; that basically leaves Ratchet, Jolt, and Dune Runner."

"Jolt and Dune Runner?"

"Good call," Lennox approved. "All right, I want you, Andronov, and five other guys on this mission. When we brief the team we'll see who's most qualified to go. Get everyone assembled."

"Uh, sir?" Lennox was about to walk away when Hawes started to raise a question. "I'm not qualified for a mission like this. Shouldn't I stay with the ground team?"

"Experience is the best training you can receive. Besides, you didn't think I'd send you in alone, did you?" Will said with a grin.

* * *

Mikaela was sitting in a Humvee, huddled in a blanket and drinking a hot drink, when someone knocked on the door and said that the major was addressing everyone. She climbed out and went to stand with the small crowd that had assembled for the latest battle plans. It was probably around two or three in the morning and Mikaela was exhausted; the rest of the team undoubtedly felt the same way, but they couldn't leave until this was over.

Lennox and Hawes were outlining how a squad would return to the Decepticon base to destroy it, while everyone else would simultaneously get out of the forest and obliterate all of the remaining 'Cons. They stressed the last point because NEST couldn't risk having the aliens escape to another part of the vast country.

"Even if you lose radio contact with the strike team, no one is to come after us until all of the targets have been neutralized. Is that understood?" Lennox ordered the men.

Something about his instructions hit an ominous note for her. Suddenly she had a horrible, sinking feeling that this mission Lennox and his team were going on was far more dangerous than she had realized. They would be going right into the heart of enemy territory, likely protected by goodness knows what, and then trying once more to reduce a veritable fortress to a smoking heap. He hadn't specifically mentioned their plan for getting out of there once they had set those explosives…

The meeting adjourned and soldiers scrambled to their positions. Mikaela spotted Will's tall figure and did her best not to run towards him. "Will!"

"Mikaela! How're you doing?"

"I'm feeling fine, but this mission…"

"Come on, walk with me," he said, not breaking stride. He went to reload on ammunition and double-check his gun, all the while shouting out last-minute orders.

A part of her wanted to tell him that it was too dangerous, that the odds of he and his squad surviving weren't in their favor, that there had to be some other way. Mikaela took a moment and just watched Will. Here he was, right before their last effort to complete this mission – he was in the zone. This is what he did. In spite of the fact that she was terrified of the possibility of Will not returning from this mission, Mikaela had such respect for him that she knew she couldn't say anything to undermine that responsibility and determination he had.

Will finally had a chance to have a few words with the young woman. "The sergeant over there is in charge on the ground. I want you to stay with the team and follow their directions, okay?"

"Got it."

"I want you to stay safe."

"Will…" What could she say that wouldn't indicate her fear, or make him worry, or sound like a goodbye? His arm was outstretched, being in the middle of reaching for something when he paused, and she took hold of it tightly. "I'm really glad I got on that plane with you."

His eyes locked with hers, a still moment in the middle of the action. Will clasped her hand where she touched him. "Mikaela, listen, whatever happens… I love you."

She stared at him, flushed and lips parted like she was going to say something, but no words would come forth.

"Major! We're ready to go!" Hawes yelled in the background.

"Let's move!" he called back. Will took a last look at the young woman before running for the waiting Osprey.

* * *

Mikaela probably would have kept standing there had it not been for somebody ushering her into a military vehicle. Now the NEST team was racing for the main road; but they had a lot of muddy path to go before they got there, and a lot of angry 'Cons rapidly coming in behind them.

"Get into position. We've got two at eight o'clock," the radio chatter informed the soldiers.

"Roger that. Set up snipers, we'll get them in the crossfire."

"Move! Move!"

She sat in the back of a Humvee in a disconnected daze. Will loved her? Lennox? He had actually said those three words: 'I love you'. How had this come about? Did something happen in the past few days that she had missed? Mikaela was stunned; this was completely unexpected. And now she had to struggle with her own emotions to determine how she felt about him…

"Engage!" a voice hollered the command. Nearby explosions shook the vehicle and its occupants, bringing Mikaela back to the here and now, that being the final battle to get out of this Siberian forest.

Two excavators came into view and quickly transformed. The smaller of the two, Scrapmetal, sustained heavy damage from the snipers hiding on the sides of the road. The other one, Scavenger, was huge; its head was positioned between two enormous, vertical wheels, and its arms came out on either side of that body. Accelerating rapidly, it was all the team could do to get out of the way to avoid being crushed. The Decepticon tore up trees by the fistful and threw them like pencils as it raced past.

"Breakaway! Get on him!" Whirl ordered the Autobot.

In his jet alt-mode he could easily fly up behind the 'Con; the wheels were the only things to watch out for. Without warning, a helicopter came hurtling down to ground-level at an alarming pace and transformed before hitting topsoil. With three Decepticons on the scene they were better able to provide cover-fire for one another and drive a wedge into the NEST team's assault.

* * *

The osprey carrying Lennox's auxiliary team and two other Autobots had almost reached the drop zone when they came under fire – scorching energy bolts shot past the aircraft.

"I thought this base was unarmed!" Hawes yelled to be heard.

"It is," Lennox replied. "Those are the 'Cons – they know we're coming for them."

Springer was doing all he could to dodge the shots, but couldn't escape them all. A round tore through part of the wing, and smoke poured from the opening. The aircraft shook violently, his occupants clutching their safety belts.

"You guys are gonna have to bale out now," the Autobot informed them. "I'll see what I can do to keep them distracted.

"Thanks Springer, good luck. All right, everybody out!" Will ordered. He made sure that all the men followed Hawes out of the aircraft before jumping. Jolt and Dune Runner also leapt out, their specialized parachutes would allow them to glide in just like their human counterparts.

Under fire, parachuting into enemy territory, in the dark. Not a good combination, Will thought to himself as he pulled the cord; at least the snow had let up a bit. He pushed all of the distracting thoughts from his mind, which were mainly of Mikaela and her expression after he'd blurted out something he thought he'd never say. But it was true. He loved her courage and the way she put herself out there for others. He loved how she could stay positive and make the most out of trying circumstances. He loved the way she put her full trust in those close to her. Will knew it was unexpected and too quick, but what he had to do now might steal the chance to tell her later.

Decepticon Bludgeon was on the small roof area of the base, doing his best to pick them off. With the information they were able to gather from their first attempt to destroy the communications station, there was an exhaust hatch on that same roof area that would allow them to bypass the main entry and access the generator room directly. Of course, tipping a 'Con that size off of the roof wasn't going to be easy.

Up above, Springer was successful in drawing Bludgeon's fire away from the group. With his attention focused the other way, Jolt swooped down and lassoed his electrical whips around the 'Con's legs. Dune Runner and the eight-man strike team landed next and opened fire until the huge Decepticon lost balance and toppled from the roof. A giant hand clawed at the edge of the building, but was unable to maintain its grip.

"Everybody inside!" Lennox ordered, then turned to the NEST scientist. "Petr, take those scans and photos as fast as you can. Once we set the new charges and destabilize the generator, we might have seventy seconds to get back out."

"I understand," Petr replied with a nod. Andronov's sole task for this mission was to collect as much information as possible on Decepticon technology for NEST to analyze. He was not about to return empty handed.

* * *

The NEST team was being pushed back much faster than they'd expected; it wasn't a retreat, but things weren't far from that point. The Humvee that Mikaela was in sped down the road, being covered by a couple Autobots. Nevertheless, shots were hitting the ground right next to them.

The soldier in charge, a sergeant, addressed the others seated beside the young woman. "Around the bend here we've got a rock mass that will provide cover. We need to get behind that and set up the rocket launcher. We can take out the big 'Con with that. Ready guys?"

A chorus of hollers came in response.

"We're about fifty feet to the cover" the driver informed them.

Suddenly the vehicle skid to a halt.

"What's happening? Why are we stopping?" Mikaela asked, trying not to panic.

"It's not going! It might be an EMP," the driver yelled and swore.

"We'll have to run for it," the sergeant said, and everyone piled out of the disabled truck.

Mikaela ran behind the men, but a distant cry caught her attention. Turning and squinting to see in the light of the snow and glow from burning patches of forest, she noticed a soldier trying to run in their direction but limping badly. Far behind she could also see the Decepticons coming in quickly.

"Girl! Come on, move!" one of the troops shouted at her.

She glanced at them then looked back at the man struggling to get to safety. There was no way he'd make it before that giant rolling 'Con crushed him. Mikaela sprinted back to the Humvee. This thing has to work, she thought desperately as she tore off a panel and fumbled for the wires. With all the experience she had in hotwiring, that part was easy, but the engine just wouldn't turn over. Checking the rear view mirror she saw that the man was on the ground, crawling.

"Come on!" Mikaela screamed at the machine, kicking the dashboard.

Amazingly the vehicle roared to life and she put in into gear.

"Sorry Will," she muttered under her breath as she reversed toward the man. After all his efforts to keep her out of harm's way, here she was going against everything he'd told her.

Decepticon Scavenger was in full view now – she had only a matter of seconds to get the soldier inside and hopefully drive out of there.

"I can't believe you came back!" the soldier exclaimed when she'd stopped and ran out to him.

"Lennox doesn't leave anyone behind and neither do I. Now please, we have to hurry."

With the soldier's arm draped over her solider, she half dragged him to the Humvee and all but pushed him inside. Mikaela leapt back into the driver's seat and tried to get the vehicle moving in the opposite direction as the approaching 'Con. The engine spluttered in response.

"Oh crap. Don't do this to me, not now…" Mikaela said under her breath.

"Why aren't we moving?" the soldier asked, grimacing and clutching his leg.

"Something happened to this truck, that's why we bailed on it." The rampaging alien was almost on top of them. Mikaela grit her teeth. "Hold on!" Putting the Humvee back into reverse, she accelerated towards the enormous tire.

"Wait! What are you doing?" the man shrieked, but she didn't hear him.

At the last moment, Mikaela swerved the vehicle to the left, narrowly missing the Decepticon's tread. She didn't stop until they were a little off the road and Scavenger had rolled past. The two people sat there speechless, and Mikaela looked down at her trembling hands that rested on the steering wheel.

* * *

"These charges aren't as powerful, but they should do the trick," Hawes said as he set the last one.

"Jolt, are you finished with the generator?" Lennox asked the Autobot.

"Yes. I hope this doesn't overload too early."

"I can't believe that no one's come down here yet," the lieutenant remarked.

"Yeah… Dune Runner, are you sure that 'Con isn't in here?"

"Positive. Shockwave is not in this room."

Lennox caught sight of the scientist. "Petr, are you finished yet?"

"Just about – a few more seconds."

"All right, they might be waiting for us to come back up through the ventilation, so let's try a more direct route out of here. Dune, could you get this door open?"

The small Autobot was just tall enough to work the controls for the door of the generator room. It slid open slowly and the group was startled to see a form on the other side.

Likely expecting them to come from the other side, Shockwave whirled around looking as startled as a one-eyed Decepticon could. "You!" he growled.

Dune Runner frantically tried to get the door to close, but Shockwave grabbed the side and pushed it open. He had his cannon drawn, but didn't fire it because of their surroundings.

With a flick of the wrists Jolt had his whips drawn, and all the humans had their guns drawn.

"No one move and I'll give you a fighting chance," Shockwave told them.

"Start the charges," Lennox whispered into his communicator.

"We'll only have seventy seconds to get out of here!" Hawes whispered back.

"Right now we might not even have that. Start them."

There was a faint beep but everyone heard it like a bell.

"Never mind," Shockwave said darkly.

Simultaneously, Jolt's blue whips snapped through the air and caught the 'Con's cannon while Dune and the humans opened fire. The brawl filled the room and the timer quietly counted down.

* * *

The rocket launcher had downed the giant Decepticon Scavenger; the direct hit to the face and core finished him off. That still left three more out there, but the tide had officially turned in their favour. Mikaela had finally gotten the Humvee working properly and returned to the rocky outcropping that the rest of the soldiers were hiding behind.

"Girl, that was crazy what you did back there," the sergeant told her, "but that was also incredibly brave. You've got my respect."

"Mine too," several other men offered.

"Thanks. Lennox came back for me when we were in Egypt – I couldn't do any less."

"Well, we still got to get to the…"

The biggest explosion any of the NEST troops had ever seen set fire to the sky. The Decepticon base was destroyed. A cheer went up from the humans and Autobots alike.

"We should give the major a status update. Can anyone get a hold of him?"

"I've got nothing sir, from any of them…"

Mikaela looked back at the plume of fire and smoke with tears streaming down her face.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Will actually told Mikaela "I love you"? Did you see that coming? I didn't… I'd love to hear your reaction though – hit the review button!


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author**__**'**__**s**__** Note:**_ Another chapter up much faster than the last time! This story is drawing to a close, but not before one last twist. By the way, there is legal, recreational drinking of alcoholic beverages in this chapter. Also, get ready to swoon!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"We'll try again later to establish radio contact," the sergeant told the troops. "We've still got three Decepticons out there. The faster we take them down, the faster we can send out a rescue team."

Autobot Scattorshot peered down the road. "Here they come!"

Two airborne 'Cons, Thrust and Spinister, and one heavy ground 'Con, Wreckage, were launching an all-out effort to destroy the NEST team. The fight would be fierce, but they were outnumbered five-to-three; it would be over soon.

For Mikaela the rest of the battle was a blur of explosions, dark forest, soldiers with guns… She sat once again in the relative safety of a military vehicle heading for the main road. All she could think about was what if the strike team hadn't made it out before the charges went off? What if Lennox had made the ultimate sacrifice and stayed behind while the others got out of danger? There were so many emotions tumbling inside of her that she didn't know what to feel.

One thing was certain – she loved Will Lennox. His confession had made her come face to face with what she had been denying the entire time, mostly because she didn't think that she was in love. What she and Sam had had was something like it. He was a nice guy but he had so much growing up to do. Mikaela wanted, needed, something serious; something that Sam evidently wasn't ready for. But when she looked at Will, she felt at home.

"Last target eliminated," a voice on the radio announced. "All clear to the road."

A couple minutes later they hit the smoother gravel of the main road that they would be able to take back to civilization.

"We need to get Lennox and his team on the line right now," the sergeant demanded, "otherwise we're sending out a search party."

"Still nothing, sir."

This isn't happening, Mikaela thought; he was supposed to be there with them.

"Wait…" Gears spoke up. He tilted his head as he received a communication from another Autobot. "I've got Dune Runner… they're alright. Springer is flying them back and they'll be here shortly."

Another cheer could be heard through the radio from all the men. Mikaela silently thanked the heavens above for Will's safe return. Five minutes later, a damaged osprey landed and the occupants piled out. Ratchet immediately set about taking care of his giant patient, and everyone else greeted the strike team with back slaps, yells, and much enthusiasm. As it happened, Springer was able to defeat Bludgeon and evacuate them while Shockwave was down for the count.

Will was exhausted and filthy yet beaming as he surveyed the brave men who had fought with him that day. "Well done troops – mission accomplished!" As he smiled, his eyes landed on the sole feminine face in the crowd gazing back at him, and his eyes lingered there for several moments. This time there was someone waiting for him.

* * *

The three hour drive back to Tynda went by quickly, but only because the majority of the NEST team fell asleep. The Autobots did as much driving as they could so that as few human drivers as possible would have to battle fatigue to stay on the rough roads. When they arrived back at the hotel, Will and Lieutenant Hawes set up a secure line to speak with General Morshower. He was pleased to hear that they'd completed the mission successfully.

"I've been in contact with the Russian military about the situation and they've agreed to send in some of their people to clean up whatever is left of the 'Cons. A specialized team is also on its way up from Diego Garcia. The moment they get there, you and your team will be free to go; that should be sometime in the next twenty-four hours."

"That works out fine, sir," Lennox replied. "We could sure use the time to rest."

"You guys do that, you've certainly earned it. Hawes, you're headed back to base?"

"Yes sir."

"You're probably looking forward to being near the sand and surf. I hear you're to be commended – the major had nothing but good to say about you."

"Thank you, general."

"And Lennox, you're returning stateside?"

"Hopefully."

"You're all clear from this end. You can finally enjoy some time off; when was the last time you went on leave?"

"Over a year, I think."

"Maybe more than that. Well, just make sure you get home and have some R and R, okay?"

"Will do, general."

"Alright, I'll talk to you both later. Get some rest."

Hawes stood and yawned. "I'll get the desk to call me when either our team or the Russian team gets here."

"Don't worry about it; I'll have them call me."

"Thanks Will. It was sure one heck of a night."

"No kidding. Couldn't have done it without you, Raymond. You're going to make a good officer. Now hit the hay, that's an order."

By the time Will got to his own room he was nearly asleep on his feet; however, that didn't prevent him from stopping short when he saw a figure lying on the other bed. It took him another moment to register that it was Mikaela, who was still his roommate from when they had first arrived in town. She had only taken off her coat and boots and had collapsed onto the bed fully clothed. Will spread an extra blanket over her; all the while fighting an urge to run a hand through her dark, silken hair. Then he flopped onto his own bed and wrapped the blanket around himself like a sleeping bag. Aside from the equipment he carried he couldn't be bothered to change out of his uniform either.

* * *

Mikaela awoke slowly, blinking in the dimness of where she lay. With a soft groan she rolled over onto her back and stretched. Her muscles responded with a shot of pain and she winced. The chaos of the mission came back to her like some sort of bad dream, but she was here and alive and in one piece – just really, really sore. Peering at the red display of a night-table clock, the time was three-twenty-seven. Was that A.M or P.M., she wondered. Mikaela dragged herself out of bed and peeked through the heavy curtains. The sun was low in the sky – P.M. Behind her there was a rustle and the sound of someone inhaling deeply. Will's face emerged from a blanket and he squinted at her.

"Hey," he said groggily. "What time is it?"

"Three-thirty in the afternoon; we've been sleeping all day."

"Did anyone call?"

"I haven't heard anything, but I just woke up. How are you feeling?"

He rubbed his eyes. "Really good, actually." Her beautiful face and ruffled hair as his first sight of the day definitely made him feel good.

The phone rang loudly on a nearby table and she handed him the receiver.

"Yes… alright thank you." He leaned over to hang it up. "Our team from Diego Garcia will be here within the hour. I'm going to make a couple calls to wake everyone up, so you can shower first."

"Thanks. I promise not to use all the hot water."

* * *

By six that evening, the specialized crews from the NEST base and the Russian military had arrived at the Hotel Yunost, making virtually the entire place full of military personnel. After having a large briefing on what had happened and what still had to take place, Lennox's team made plans to leave early the next morning. He could finally fly back to the States and everyone who came with Lieutenant Hawes could go back to Diego Garcia. When all the business was out of the way, that's when the partying started.

A huge amount of food and alcohol was ordered, and the rest of the night was filled with singing, dancing, and the general rowdiness expected from a group of soldiers blowing off some steam. Lennox made sure that he stayed sober enough to keep an eye on everyone so that they didn't tear the place down. With the legal drinking age at eighteen in that country, even the youngest present could imbibe a bit. Mikaela found the Russian liquor to be surprisingly strong, and didn't drink much. Being a young woman in a crowd of men called for some common sense at any rate.

When midnight came around Lennox and a couple other less inebriated ones brought the party to a close, and ushered the troops to their rooms. After all, some people had to work the next day. Mikaela helped get things relatively cleaned up, and then she and Will made their way to their own room. This probably looks really bad, she thought in the back of her mind; the two of them going in together. Right away she went and started cleaning up her side of the room. Suddenly a slow, instrumental tune floated through the air. She turned to see Will standing beside the clock radio, grinning sheepishly.

"I've wanted to ask you this all evening: would you like to dance?"

Mikaela laughed. "Yes, I'd love to."

He took her hand and rested his own mid-way along the arch of her back. They shuffled around the tiny floor space that was available, gradually slipping closer and closer to each other.

"It was selfish to drag you along on this mission," he said.

"I volunteered, remember?"

"But I should've sent you home. It wasn't right to put you in danger."

"You put yourself in danger," she countered.

"That's my job. I do what I have to so that others don't get hurt."

"If I know the risks you take, then maybe I'll be less scared about it. No, maybe not, because I was scared from the moment your strike team left to when you came back."

"Thank you for not saying anything. I don't think I would've been able to go through with it."

"Thank you for coming back." She lay gazed up into his eyes, wanting to get lost in them. He was so tall, standing next to her like this. Her wrists were up around his shoulders and neck, drawing him closer. Mikaela pressed into his body, feeling his warmth surround her and his muscular arms embrace her protectively.

Will inhaled her clean scent, getting more intoxicated by that than he had the liquor. Holding her slender body he could feel her curves right underneath his hands. He leaned in, all but inhaling her, their lips almost meeting; he could just about taste her sweetness.

"No, I can't," he breathed.

"It's alright," she whispered back.

He stared into her eyes, not missing her meaning. It took absolutely all the resolve he could muster. "No, not like this." Will took the added step of gently putting some space between their heated bodies. If he kissed her now, there was only one direction things would lead.

She placed her palms on his broad chest. "Will…"

"Mikaela, I need to look out for your best interests. I'm not completely sober – it just wouldn't be right."

She looked hurt, but didn't say anything. They were in an unfamiliar place, thousands of miles from home, she was surrounded by people she didn't know, they had both had a bit to drink – all danger signs. It would feel like he was taking advantage of her.

"I'm going to go, okay? Lock the door after I leave." Will grabbed his blankets and pillow, not sure if he could trust himself to be in the same room with her all night, seeing how intense things had gotten in such a short time. "I'll call you at five-thirty, and we leave here at six-thirty." He stopped and gave her a long kiss on the forehead. "Good night, Mikaela."

"Good night, Will," she murmured in response.

He slipped out the door and waited to hear the bolt slide across before marching down to Raymond's room. He rapped on the door and several moments later the lieutenant appeared, his face scrunched up in the light.

"Don't tell me it's time to go already; I just got into bed!"

"Can I crash with you tonight?"

"What? Um, sure I've got this little couch in here, but I don't think you'll fit…"

"It'll do." He walked in and dumped his stuff on it.

Raymond brushed a hand through his disheveled hair. "What's going on?"

"I didn't think that it would be a good idea sleeping in the same room with Mikaela."

"Oh… I see. You're a good guy, Lennox."

"Yeah, yeah, just go back to sleep."

Back in the other room, Mikaela crawled under the covers feeling unusually breathless. She wanted him so badly, and she knew he felt the same about her. In similar situations, she'd had to literally push boys away from her; yet, in the heat of that moment, Will left of his own accord. It was the most honourable thing any guy had ever done for her – she loved him even more because of that. She couldn't wait to tell him so.

* * *

The NEST team was up before dawn that morning. There was a lot of gear to pack up, but everything was ready to go within an hour. The Autobots met them at Tynda's airport, and everyone got ready to part. Lennox would be heading back east with those who came with him – Mikaela, Jolt, and Ratchet – while Hawes would be leading his soldiers back to the tropical south.

"It's been a privilege to do this mission with you, Lennox," the second lieutenant addressed him.

"It's been a pleasure, Hawes. You proved that you can hold your own out there. I'll see you when I get back from leave."

"Looking forward to it." They saluted each other, then Hawes approached Mikaela. "Ms. Banes, I must commend you for your brave actions during the battle. I was told that you personally saved the life of one of our men."

"I did what I could."

"Thank you for it. Good to know you."

"Same to you, lieutenant." They shook hands, and he boarded his aircraft.

Nearby the Autobots were doing much the same things that their human counterparts were doing. Scattorshot, Dune Runner, and Gears piled into a waiting C-17, while Breakaway, Springer, and Whirl would be staying to help the other team and flying back later.

"Hey," Will got her attention. "We're going to take off first, so we can board right away. Jolt and Ratchet are going to get on now too."

The C-130 Hercules took off promptly at seven. Taking the same route as before, they arrived in Magadan, Russia in less than five hours. During the fueling stop the Autobots rushed off the aircraft to drive around a little on the tarmac. Will and Mikaela strolled around as well, happy to stretch their legs and to be in each other's company.

Next was the six hour flight to Anchorage, Alaska. After that they would finally be able to go home to California. Mikaela wasn't particularly looking forward to a day spent in an airplane, but she was so eager to get to their waylaid destination that she was able to bear it. Will started dozing off in the seat beside her. She bunched up one of her fleece pullovers and put it across her thighs. Gently pulling on Will's arm was enough to rouse him.

"Are we there yet?" he asked drowsily.

"No. I was trying to get you to lie down."

"I'm ok." He folded his arms and tried to get comfortable in the non-reclining seat.

"You can rest on my lap, I don't mind."

Will glanced at her out of the corner of his eye with a mischievous smile on his face. "Well, since you put it that way, I could really use the rest." He leaned back onto the makeshift pillow on her lap and looked up at her. "Hey, there's something we have to do when we land. We need to find a medic and get those stitches taken out of your arm."

"I'm surprised you remembered," she replied. "Actually, with all the action I forgot about it until I was in the shower." Mikaela tugged her left sleeve back and showed him the injury. From the way he was laying he could look at it closely.

"It looks way better than when I last saw it."

She let out a sigh. "It feels like we've been in Russia a week or something."

"Yeah I know what you mean. We've been jet-lagged for days; it's probably going to take a week just to get re-oriented." He started rubbing her forearm with his fingertips, watching her smile in response to his touch. Then he put his lips to her skin and carefully kissed along the line of stitches. "I hope you don't have a scar," he murmured.

"If I do, it'll remind me that you saved my life that day."

Mikaela gazed down into his face as she stroked her fingers through his hair. The sensation was soothing; he began to drift off to sleep again, holding her hand upon his chest.

* * *

It was early evening when Will and Mikaela's plane landed in Alaska. They had started off their day at dawn on an airstrip, and here they were at dusk on another airstrip. By this point, the pilots had been flying for roughly ten hours. Lennox decided that they should overnight at the Elmendorf Air Force Base and get an early start the next morning. With his rifle in one hand and his bag in the other, Will led the way down the ramp of the Hercules. The Autobots would at least get to stay in a large hangar where they could be in their Cybertronian form, not their alt-modes.

As promised, Will made sure that Mikaela finally got the ugly row of stitches removed from her arm; they had been in place since Egypt and her nasty encounter with Decepticon Ravage. After grabbing a quick dinner, an officer escorted them to them to their accommodations for the night – two small single rooms. Will was relieved; he did not want any lurid rumours going around. When the officer left, the two of them stood in the hallway talking. They had been together almost constantly for the past few days, it felt a little strange to suddenly have that distance between them.

"I don't really feel tired, but I guess I should try and get some sleep," she said.

"Same here. We need to be back on the plane tomorrow morning at seven-thirty, so at least we have more time to recharge than last night." Without warning it became awkward; neither of them knew what to say before parting. "Well… uh good night."

"Will, about last night – thank you for not letting things go too far."

"It was only right. I don't want to mess things up." He grasped her hand. "I do love you."

"I love you," she replied softly.

A glowing feeling rushed through his body. He had fervently hoped that she had felt the same, and she did! Will beamed and he leant to take her soft face in his hands, wanting to capture her lips with his own.

"Stop right there!" a shrill voice commanded.

Will stopped short, only a breath away from her. Frozen in place, his eyes flicked up to see the object of his contempt striding down the hallway. Mikaela whirled around to see who had so rudely interrupted them in so intimate a moment. Only one person could have been so unfeeling, so disrespectful, so spiteful – Director Theodore Galloway.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Not one, but two attempts at a kiss were foiled! You're probably feeling all hot & bothered now… That said, now would be a good time to check out the new Mikaela/Lennox photos on my profile page!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Transformers_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_I can't believe this is the last chapter! To refresh your memory on what happened in the previous chapter: Will and Mikaela are returning home to California after finishing a dangerous mission in Siberia. Though they're completely in love but Will doesn't want her to feel like she's being taken advantage of, so he waits to even kiss her. The next time that they get close they get interrupted by none other than Theodore Galloway…

* * *

**Chapter 13**

"Well, well, well. Major Lennox, I've finally tracked you down!" Galloway sneered triumphantly. He stood there with his chest puffed out, while two Security Forces men flanked him.

"Shouldn't you be in Washington pushing paperwork around?" Lennox countered.

"I've had a couple days of waiting for you to come back from Siberia."

"Right. I forgot to thank you for sending me on that mission, which delayed me from taking my leave."

"Let that be a lesson never to mess around with department process, or me, ever again."

"With all due respect, Director," which wasn't much if any, Lennox thought to himself, "I answer to General Morshower. That official order has been re-established."

"It's a shame; otherwise I would've had you court-martialed. In any case, there is still a matter of national security to deal with that falls under my jurisdiction."

Will's eyes narrowed. What could this man have up his sleeve that would make him wait around Alaska to deal with it?

"This would be the matter of a security breach in an overseas covert mission." Galloway pointed an accusing finger at Mikaela. "An unauthorized civilian who deliberately stowed away on a military plane after infiltrating an air force base."

"Now hang on a moment!" Will exclaimed. "You specifically ordered that the personnel on my plane that was re-routed here be sent on this mission. Ms. Banes was on my plane and was forced to come along."

"But when I came up here a few days ago I attempted to stop her from going on said mission and Ms. Banes still snuck onboard. While I strongly suspect that you had something to do with this, Major Lennox, I have no hard evidence. However, in the presence of witnesses, Ms. Banes was seen on the plane bound for Russia. Therefore it is in my power to now put her into custody, charges pending, and remove her to a secure area to be questioned regarding her actions. Mikaela Banes, you're coming with me." Galloway motioned to the SFs behind him and they started walking toward the young woman.

"You're arresting me?" Mikaela asked in disbelief.

"I'm detaining you," Galloway replied.

"That's the same thing!"

"No it isn't – you won't be led away in handcuffs. Though should you resist I'll be certain to cuff you."

Will stepped in front of her, keeping Mikaela completely behind him. "You are _not_ taking her anywhere."

"Then perhaps you would like to come along as well, Major, for harbouring a suspected criminal. Or maybe that charge would be sexual assault, or rape…"

"What?"

"How do I know that what was going on in this hallway between you and her was consensual?" Galloway smirked; his insinuations would be enough to start rumours around Lennox's name and reputation. "Now, step aside Major."

The SFs approached simultaneously but Will stood his ground. One of them reached out to push him aside, but he thrust the man's hand away. The SF grabbed him and Lennox shoved him into a wall. The other SF drew his gun and Will drew his. Mikaela was astounded by how fast things were getting out of control. She forgot that Will carried a gun on him at all times. This scenario reminded her of the showdown that Will and former Agent Simmons had had in the underground tunnels of Hoover Dam a couple years ago. Lennox was not one to show fear.

"Really Major? You're going to do things this way?" Galloway called out from behind the guards.

By this time the first security officer had backed away and also drawn his gun. The three men were locked in a tense standoff.

"She's not worth your career, Major!"

Mikaela licked her lips and tried to think things through in the most logical way. She knew what had to happen and Will wasn't going to like it. "Will," she whispered, "I should just go with them."

"We're going to get this fixed; you don't have to go anywhere," he muttered.

"I won't let you risk your career this way – he does have a point."

"I'm not worried about that."

She stepped around beside him so she could see his face. "Will, I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've had to deal with stuck-up, whiney agents."

"I heard that!" Galloway cried out.

"Mikaela…"

He finally shifted his gaze and she was able to look at him in the eyes. "It's ok."

Will's stance relaxed slightly as she picked up her backpack, and he lowered his weapon as she walked towards the SFs, who also holstered their guns.

"There, was that so hard Major?" Galloway taunted. "Now I don't have to write you up. Have a nice leave, Major Lennox."

Will's fists clenched as he watched them escort Mikaela away. There was no way he was letting her go this easy, not after all they'd been through. Grabbing his gear he ran to the hangar where the Autobots were staying. Jolt and Ratchet were sitting quietly in their alt-modes, looking like normal vehicles. When Lennox was certain that there was no one around, he started talking to them.

"Hey, there's a problem – Director Galloway has taken Mikaela away for questioning."

The moment he said that, both Autobots transformed instantly. Ratchet's hand closed into a fist. "That imbecile! Is this about her coming on the mission with us?"

"Yes, and it's also to get back at me. Mikaela went with him so that I didn't get arrested, but I'm going after her; you'll have to find your own ways home."

"I'm going with you!" Jolt exclaimed.

"It'll be harder to find a plane to take you along. Sorry Jolt, but I'll have to do this alone."

"Wait a moment, Lennox," Ratchet interjected. "What if I could get you there faster?"

"I don't think even Sideswipe could drive that fast…"

"Not driving, flying. There's an Autobot currently in N.E.S.T. Ops Vancouver who could get you there before Galloway. Let me contact him." The medic stepped aside a moment and sent a transmission, responding in Cybertronian. After the quick conversation he returned. "Autobot Skydive is flying up here immediately; at his rate of speed he should be here in approximately one hour."

"Thanks Ratchet."

"I have noted how your heart-rate and chemical levels are elevated when in the presence of Mikaela Banes. Based on other research I have done, I realize that this response in humans means affection. I have detected similar biological responses in her as well. This would indicate compatibility. Is that how humans describe this phenomenon?"

Now there was a talk that could make a Special Ops man feel embarrassed. Will rubbed his chin, feeling very awkward. "Uh… yeah… something like that."

* * *

The business jet that Galloway got to fly around in was very luxurious, especially when Mikaela compared it to the rough military planes that had recently been her mode of transport. The interior of the Gulfstream was spacious and had large, comfortable chairs and plenty of leg-room. She would've been enjoying the experience had she not become the Director's prisoner. Galloway had selected a seat at the other end of the plane and glued himself to a tablet throughout takeoff. He seemed to remember that she was there and whispered something to an assistant who was also travelling with him.

"Good evening Ms. Banes," the dark-suited man greeted in a monotone as he approached. "The flight is just over six hours in duration and our estimated arrival time in Maryland is about three A.M. local time."

Mikaela gawked. She wasn't sure if she was more disturbed by the fact that she'd be stuck in yet another airplane for that long, or that this aide's voice sounded exactly like a pre-recorded message. "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. "And why are we going to Maryland?"

"The National Security offices are located there," he replied matter-of-factly. "Please make yourself comfortable; the lavatory is aft, the galley is forward." He pointed the directions, then returned to his seat.

Folding her arms together with a huff, Mikaela glared out the window at the inky black night sky. This is completely crazy, she thought; then her mind went back to Will. At least he wouldn't get in trouble again with this intolerable little man. She could only hope that Will would contact his superiors and have her released before too long.

* * *

In a little over an hour, an F-22 Raptor made its final approach to the Elmendorf Air Force Base and requested clearance to land. After doing so and taxiing to the hanger where the Autobots and Major Lennox were waiting, it rolled inside and transformed.

"Hey Ratchet, Jolt, good to see you!" Autobot Skydive greeted his fellow Cybertronians.

"It's been quite a few rotations. Thanks for doing this on short notice," Ratchet replied.

"No problem."

Lennox stepped forward. "Alright then, let's get moving. Jolt, you're going to a base in California, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Would you take my stuff with you?"

"Certainly. How are you getting back with Mikaela?"

"We'll find some way; we both won't be able to fit in Skydive's fighter jet cockpit."

"Let me know what airport or air base you arrive in, and I can pick you up."

"Thanks Jolt. See you later then." Will turned to the medic. "What about you? How are you getting back east?"

"I'm still scheduled for the cargo flight leaving tomorrow morning – I'll be fine, Major."

"Okay. Thanks a lot for this."

"You're welcome. Go get her!"

Skydive transformed back into his F-22 alt-mode and Lennox climbed in after leaving his rifle and combat gear in the trunk of Jolt's Chevy form.

"You're in for quite a ride, Major. Buckle up!"

* * *

Mikaela's eyes glared daggers into the back of Director Galloway's head as he marched down the hallway of the National Security offices. Even though it was during the dark hours before dawn, the place didn't seem to ever shut down completely. Mikaela lugged her backpack, the armed guard who was escorting her hadn't bothered to offer carry it. Finally they stopped at one of the many doors in the bland hallway, which Galloway unlocked and opened wide.

"Okay Ms. Banes, consider this your quarters for the remainder of the night. You'll stay here until I return during the working hours and personally interrogate you," Galloway said, nearly gloating.

Mikaela stomped inside and looked around; there was nothing more than a cot, a table, and a chair in the room. "There's no bathroom in here!"

"What were you expecting? A suite? Listen you hussy, you're lucky you're not in a jail cell."

"Would that be because this is illegal?"

"We'll see how chirpy you are in the morning. I'll be back, bright and early. Until then, if you need anything, buzz the guard." He jabbed a finger in the direction of an intercom button, then locked the door behind him.

Mikaela threw her bag to the floor and slumped onto the bed. She really wanted to breakdown in tears, but she willed herself to stay calm and positive. Besides, she didn't want to have her eyes all red and puffy in the morning. Keeping her jacket on, she lay down on the bed and tried to catch a few hours of sleep before she had to face Galloway again.

* * *

The National Security offices opened at seven in the morning; an early start to the workday. A large tractor part of a semi truck pulled in front of the building, and a tall man clad in special ops military garb climbed out. He flashed an official document to the reception and was allowed inside the offices without a problem. After getting directions to a certain section of the sprawling center, Lennox got into an elevator and inhaled deeply. Hopefully he would find Mikaela quickly, and without Galloway skulking around.

All the hallways in the building looked the same, thought Lennox. He scanned the various letters and numbers that differentiated the rooms as he followed the man on duty for that area – the man with the key. Finally they stopped at one of the nondescript doors, and the patrolman unlocked it. Behind it was nothing but an empty room.

"That's strange, I'm sure this is the right room…" The guard checked a clipboard.

Another guard walked past and paused when he noticed the two men standing there. "If you're looking for the girl that was in there, the National Security Director just had her moved."

Lennox stopped himself from gritting his teeth. "Do you know where?"

"No, but he was just here a few minutes ago; they went that way."

Will quickly strode down the new route. He knew he was in the right place when he noticed Galloway's aide take a streaming mug of coffee into a room. Another guard stood in front of the door – the last obstacle before he reached Mikaela.

Marching up to the guard, he put on a commanding tone; "I'm here to speak with Director Galloway."

The man eyed his uniform. "He's not to be disturbed right now, major."

"I've got documents that need to get to him right now."

"Since when is a major running errands? You're not even a part of the personnel here."

Lennox folded his arms. "Then I guess these urgent documents will have to wait while you call the front office." He leaned against a wall and stared down the other man.

"Fine! I'll get to the bottom of this. You're already in violation of policy for not wearing a visitor's pass card." The guard stomped off.

Will immediately tried the door handle, expecting it to be locked; he was astounded to find it not so. Opening it abruptly with a gust of air, he surprised the three occupants. While Galloway's expression went from irritation to shock to anger, a beaming smile spread across Mikaela's face. Immediately she stood and slung her back over her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go," he told her.

"How did you? How dare you! You are in breach of…" the Director spluttered, trying to step between him and the young woman.

As much as Will wanted to punch him square in the jaw, he restrained himself. Lennox produced an official document and slapped it on Galloway's chest. "Straight from General Morshower; turns out she's in the clear."

"What? That's impossible! What jurisdiction could N.E.S.T. have in a civilian case?"

As he frantically scanned the paper, Will and Mikaela grabbed each other's hands and slipped through the door. The last thing he saw was Galloway's red face yelling – Will shut the door after them. They could hear the annoying little man tugging on the handle.

"Oh… it locks from the outside. That would explain the guard," Will murmured.

"We're not unlocking it, are we?" Mikaela asked.

"Unlock what?" he replied with a grin. He took her bag and threw it onto his shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Still holding hands they walked quickly. Rounding a corner, they basically crashed into the guard who had been in front of the interrogation room.

"Hey – what are you doing? Where do you think you're taking that detainee?"

"Uh, she's in my custody."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Check with the Director."

"Don't move. I'll be right back."

The moment he was out of sight they took off running; they had to get back outside. Somewhere behind them, they could hear the guard yelling for them to stop – he had started chasing them before freeing the Director. When Will and Mikaela reached the main lobby they slowed their pace to a fast walk.

"We're coming out now," Lennox muttered into his communications earpiece.

Mikaela could feel her heart hammering, they were nearly free! They had just passed through the doorway when they heard a shout.

"Hey! You there – stop!"

"Go!" Will urged her, and they broke into a run down the wide steps of the building.

They might as well have been sprinting from Decepticons and explosions; the urgency was the same. A truck skid to a halt right in front of them and the door popped open. Mikaela had to do a double-take before she realized that it was Optimus Prime in his alt-mode. She clambered inside and Will jumped in after her. The powerful engine revved and sped them away from the government building.

"That was like a jail-break!" Mikaela exclaimed. "I can't believe you did that."

"Think of it as an extraction," Will smirked, then got serious. "I'm just glad that you're okay."

"Thank you for coming after me. I hope that you're not going to get burned for it."

"Not this time." He had a knowing smile on his face.

"Where are we going anyways?"

Optimus chimed in; "The airport. You two are going straight home. I'm sorry that you had to get involved in such a dangerous mission in Russia."

"I still would've gone if you had asked."

"I gratefully commend both of you. Yet, in my circuits I wonder if Shockwave is truly gone; he has proved most resilient in the past."

"We'll be ready for him if he should ever resurface," Lennox replied.

* * *

Getting to the airport in record time, the Autobot leader stopped on the tarmac beside another Gulfstream – the plane of choice for VIPs. Waiting to meet them was General Morshower.

"General, you didn't have to be here."

"With the entire National Security Agency on your tail? I think I _need_ to be here. I'll deal with everything, Lennox."

"I owe you one, General; thanks."

He waved it off and turned to Mikaela. "So, you must be Ms. Banes, pleasure to finally meet you. Lennox has had much good to say about you."

She glanced at Will. "He's not in trouble, is he?"

"No not at all. Well, at least not with me. I've already had a call from Theodore Galloway who is furious for being locked in a room, so he claims."

"An accident, seriously," Will interjected.

"But Lennox arrived here in the middle of the night and got some paperwork done so he'd be ready this morning," the general continued. "He found the documents that resolved that you were involuntarily a part of the N.E.S.T. team during that mission because of an order given by the Director himself. Also, since you were a part of the team with Lennox in charge, it was his duty to officially dismiss you. That didn't happen, so Lennox was able to pick you up for failing to report to your commanding officer. I signed off on it an hour ago as I drank my coffee. And Galloway won't be able to do anything about it."

Will shrugged, a little bashful. Mikaela threw her arms around him and laid her head on his chest; it fit perfectly under his chin. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her heart beating.

Morshower cleared his throat somewhere in the background. "This plane is ready for takeoff, by the way. You should get going before Galloway gets here."

They ran up the stairs and into the aircraft and stopped short when they saw several men in suits look up at them.

"Oh I forgot to mention," the general called out after them, "you'll be traveling with some VIPs."

* * *

The Gulfstream landed at the Los Angeles airport as the sun came up. Will and Mikaela were exhausted and glad to find Jolt faithfully waiting for them.

The peppy blue Chevy insisted on doing all the driving. "Where to first?"

"I should really check in with my dad," Mikaela said. "It's been a few days since I spoke to him. Let's stop by his place." She gave the directions and they raced off.

Cal Banes was about to leave for an early morning run when they pulled into the driveway. Mikaela leapt out and rushed into her father's arms.

"I was so worried about you!" he exclaimed. "I couldn't reach you on your cell phone at all."

"I was way out of range. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner."

"Are things okay with Sam? That ex-boyfriend of yours is needy."

Mikaela had called him from the airport before she went to Sam's college to help him – that was basically a week ago. Cal knew about the Autobots, but insisted that Sam should have been able to 'man up' after that experience. "He's fine now. He just had a bit of a breakdown with the whole Decepticon thing."

"You'd think he'd be able to handle some giant robots…"

A disapproving sound came from the blue car, startling the man.

"Is that one also?" he whispered to his daughter.

"That's Jolt. He's really nice, don't worry."

Cal took another look at the Chevy and noticed the man inside. "And who is that, honey?" He gave her a sidelong glance.

"That's Will Lennox. He's the commander of the ops group that works with the Autobots." She motioned to him and he got out of the car.

Will wasn't expecting to meet her father so soon. "Hello sir."

"Call me Cal."

"Nice to meet you, Cal." They shook hands.

"Thank you for getting my daughter home safely." He smiled at the two of them. "Well, I should get on with my run – I'm on a diet, you know. Talk to you later, sweetie."

"See you, dad!"

Once they were back in the car Will spoke; "_Now_ I'm taking you home. I won't have made good on my promise until you're inside your place."

Mikaela grinned broadly when they drove up to her residence – it was the downstairs suite of a well-kept house – with her motorcycle was parked out front. She unlocked the door but before she could take a step inside, Will stopped her.

"Allow me."

Will swept her off her feet like she was as light as a whisper. He carried her across the threshold into her home and that was where they kissed. One moment they were laughing and the next Mikaela surprised him by pressing her lips to his, to which he readily responded. She ran her fingers through his hair and across his neck as he held her, inhaling his scent and letting her tongue meet his in a burst of passion that left them both breathless.

He gently set her down, but held her tightly and continued to kiss her lovingly, pausing long enough only to murmur, "You're home."

"'Home is where the heart is' – I was already home a long time ago." Standing there wrapped up in Will's strong arms, Mikaela would always feel at home.

THE END

* * *

_**A/N: **_To everyone who stuck it out to the end, I really hope that you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I did writing it. Please let me know what you thought and check out some of my other fics if you feel so inclined. Thanks! xoxo


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